Leaving out 'the dull bits'

“Fiction is life with the dull bits left out.” – Clive James

Born on this day in 1939, James is an Australian author, critic, broadcaster, poet, translator and memoirist, best known for his autobiographical series Unreliable Memoirs and a great sense of humor in many of his works.

 

James started writing in college, working on the student newspaper at the University of Sydney, and then joined the staff of the Sydney Morning Herald.  After moving to England, he became the television critic for The London Observer, beginning a 50-year career in arts and literary criticism.  The winner of numerous awards and honors, he is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and was honored by the British Academy of Film Awards

 for his work as a critic and author. 

In addition to his many hundreds of literary pieces              

and broadcasts, he wrote 17 nonfiction books, 11 books of poetry, 4 novels, and 4 volumes of his award-winning memoirs, the first of which has now been reprinted over 100 times. And, while many of his works are on serious topics, his droll sense of humor has been an ongoing delight for his legions of faithful readers and listeners.

 

“Common sense and a sense of humor are the same thing, moving at different speeds,” he said about his writing and broadcasting style.  “A sense of humor is just common sense, dancing.”

 Share A Writer’s Moment with a friend by clicking the g+1 button below.