Clive James is the multi-million-copy bestselling author of more than forty books. His poetry collection Sentenced to Life and his translation of Dante's The Divine Comedy were both Sunday Times top ten bestsellers, and his collections of verse have been shortlisted for many prizes. In 2012 he was appointed CBE and in 2013 an Officer of the Order of Australia.
James writes with exquisite perception and surgical precision; he is a poet of powerful argument and emotional force The Times A writer whose commanding voice contains a constant variety of colour and tone -- Robert McCrum Observer After writing poems for 50 years, his technique is deft and assured Independent on Saturday He is a unique figure, a straddler of genres and a bridger of the gaps between high and low culture. He will be seen, I think, as one of the most important and influential writers of our time -- Bryan Appleyard Sunday Times