Anyone afraid of what he thinks television does to the world is probably just afraid of the world. — Clive James Copy Share Image
The literary critic, or the critic of any other specific form of artistic expression, may detach himself from the world for as… — Clive James Copy Share Image
Television is simultaneously blamed, often by the same people, for worsening the world and for being powerless to change it. — Clive James Copy Share Image
A decade ago, critics suggested biotech crops would not be valuable in the developing world. Now 90 percent of farmers who benefit… — Clive James Copy Share Image
The streets, at least in this part of town, seemed impossibly clean in comparison to London. The public telephones were unvandalised. For… — Clive James Copy Share Image
In between the Queen and the First Lady, Nancy Reagan, sat Tony Richardson, looking very calm. Later on it emerged that this… — Clive James Copy Share Image
I was wrong, however, to suppose that Sellers thought the world revolved around him. He thought the cosmos did too, and history,… — Clive James Copy Share Image
"Nationwide" featured an amazing collection of apprentice impersonators. From all over Britain, schoolchildren materialised via local studios to give us their imitations… — Clive James Copy Share Image
The provincial intellectual is doomed to arguing at low level... there is still no Australian literary world, not in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide.… — Clive James Copy Share Image
My wife spoke perfect Italian and she was very beautiful and very suave Italian men were crowding around her, talking all the time and… — Clive James Copy Share
The streets, at least in this part of town, seemed impossibly clean in comparison to London. The public telephones were unvandalised. For a London… — Clive James Copy Share
In London there was no home cooking worthy of the name. When you were in funds you ate out. But only the people whose… — Clive James Copy Share
Generally it is our failures that civilize us. Triumph confirms us in our habits. — Clive James Copy Share
I try to be specific. One thought at a time. Clear. Articulate. And above all, memorable, if you can be. You'd like to write… — Clive James Copy Share
Pound had argued - and Eliot had helped him prove - that a poem could be sustained by memorable moments. Olson proved that it… — Clive James Copy Share
One way or another, all the poets of the thirties and forties reacted to Auden, either by rejecting him or trying to absorb him. — Clive James Copy Share
Little books are the things to write at my age, I've decided. Avoid the big ones, go for the little ones. — Clive James Copy Share
“Too many of my friends are dead, and others wrecked By various diseases of the intellect Or failing body. How am I still upright?… — clive james Copy Share
“Rilke used to say that no poet would mind going to gaol, since he would at least have time to explore the treasure house… — Clive James Copy Share
The thing about making a documentary in Las Vegas is there isn't much to film apart from other people making documentaries about Las Vegas. — Clive James Copy Share
