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        Pete Atkin >> Words >> Clive's poetry collection "Opal Sunset"
        
(Message started by: Kevin Cryan on Today at 21:19)

Title: Clive's poetry collection "Opal Sunset"
Post by Kevin Cryan on Today at 21:19

The American book=reviewer and magazine editor Dwight Garner (http://www.salon.com/archives/welcome/biography.html) has used his New York Times blog Paper Cuts (http://papercuts.blogs.nytimes.com/) to announce the publication of Clive's poetry collection Opal Sunset: Selected Poems 1958-2007 by Norton in America.

July 24, 2007, 9:54 am
The Book of My Enemy (http://papercuts.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/07/24/the-book-of-my-enemy/)

Word arrived the other day that an American publisher would, at long last, issue a book of Clive James’s poetry in this country.

That publisher is Norton, and the book is to be called “Opal Sunset: Selected Poems 1958-2007.”

The Australian-born James is best known in this country as a literary and cultural critic, but in England he’s done everything short of playing goalie for Manchester United: he’s published novels and memoirs, recorded a series of albums, worked as a television critic and for several years hosted the BBC’s New Year’s Eve show. (One of his own shows was called “Saturday Night Clive.”)

Today, we’re here to celebrate James’s poems, though. They are devastatingly well-made: fleet and hard and knowing and often very funny.

Look for “Opal Sunset” next year......

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/04/08/books/schi190.jpg
Clive James (Illustration by Joe Ciardiello)

(This is followed by a full transcription of the poem The Book of my Enemy Has Been Remaindered whch, as I do not have the author's permission to reprint, I'm not going to post here.)

There has been a comment added to this posting by one Richard Gibson, who, I believe, was at one time an active MV member.

2.July 24th,
2007
12:52 pm One aspect of Clive James’ past achievements not often mentioned is that, in the 70’s, he wrote lyrics for the British singer Pete Atkin. After a 20 year gap, Clive and Pete renewed their partnership, have recently made a couple of new recordings, and performed many times in Britain, Europe and Australia. The songs are clever, sometimes funny, sometimes melancholy, and always easy on the ear. Above all the songs are an excellent demonstration of Clive’s considerable talent early in his career.

— Posted by Richard Gibson

Kevin Cryan

Title: Re: Clive's poetry collection "Opal Sunset"
Post by BogusTrumper on 27.07.07 at 21:40

on 07/25/07 at 21:19:52, Kevin Cryan wrote :

There has been a comment added to this posting by one Richard Gibson, who, I believe, was at one time an active MV member.

2.July 24th,
2007
12:52 pm One aspect of Clive James’ past achievements not often mentioned is that, in the 70’s, he wrote lyrics for the British singer Pete Atkin. After a 20 year gap, Clive and Pete renewed their partnership, have recently made a couple of new recordings, and performed many times in Britain, Europe and Australia. The songs are clever, sometimes funny, sometimes melancholy, and always easy on the ear. Above all the songs are an excellent demonstration of Clive’s considerable talent early in his career.

— Posted by Richard Gibson

Kevin Cryan

Now it needed was a plug fot MidnightVoices........ :D

Title: Re: Clive's poetry collection "Opal Sunset"
Post by Kevin Cryan on 28.07.07 at 12:00

I have not looked today but I don't think that comments on that particular posting are closed yet. So if anybody has something appropriate to add, then I'm sure Dwight won't object.

Incidentally, the editor of Quill & Quire (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quill_&_Quire) the small circulation but influential Canadian magazine of book news and reviews, Derek Weiler posted this this to the magazine’s blog yesterday.

Friday fun, part 1: Clive James’ Schadenfreude song (http://www.quillandquire.com/blog/index.php/2007/07/27/friday-fun-part-1-schadenfreude-song/)

It’s not new or anything, but Clive James’ poem “The Book of my Enemy Has Been Remaindered” is a Quillblog favourite that will undoubtedly resonate with anyone who works in the book biz.

The book of my enemy has been remaindered
And I am pleased.
In vast quantities it has been remaindered
Like a van-load of counterfeit that has been seized
And sits in piles in a police warehouse,
My enemy’s much-prized effort sits in piles
In the kind of bookshop where remaindering occurs.

Those are just the opening lines. The New York Times‘ book blog, Paper Cuts, has posted the poem in its entirety (http://papercuts.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/07/24/the-book-of-my-enemy/); the hook is Norton’s announcement that it will issue a retrospective collection of James’ poetry, to be called Opal Sunset, next year.

Kevin Cryan

Title: Re: Clive's poetry collection "Opal Sunset"
Post by BogusTrumper on 28.07.07 at 22:06

on 07/28/07 at 12:00:08, Kevin Cryan wrote :

I have not looked today but I don't think that comments on that particular posting are closed yet. So if anybody has something appropriate to add, then I'm sure Dwight won't object.

Kevin Cryan

Comment posted, awaiting moderation!

;)

Title: Re: Clive's poetry collection "Opal Sunset"
Post by Kevin Cryan on 31.07.07 at 15:20

on 07/28/07 at 22:06:36, BogusTrumper wrote :

Comment posted, awaiting moderation!

;)

And this, I presume, is it. (http://papercuts.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/07/24/the-book-of-my-enemy/)

July 28th,
2007
5:05 pm

Of course if one really wants to read Clive’s early work, there is probably no better place than
http://www.peteatkin.com/pa.htm
which contains all of the lyrics he wrote for Pete Atkin to sing. I won’t get into the argumant of lyrics versus poetry, but there is much of great interest there, including a message board to discuss the lyrics and their meaning. The group calls itself the “Midnight Voices”, after a fragment of one song:
In midnight voices softer than a dove’s
We shall talk superbly of our lost loves

— Posted by Stuart Reeves

Kevin Cryan