Renowned critic, bestselling author and award-winning poet Clive James offers an exploration and celebration of one of his favourite writers, Philip Larkin.
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.
Few contemporary critics display the passionate commitment to the
idea of poetry, and to the idea of poetry's centrality to civilized
life, that James does
*New York Review of Books*
To read a major critic on a major poet is one of the great
pleasures. Clive James’s passion for the work of Philip Larkin, his
intense scrutiny which reveals an extraordinary empathy makes
Somewhere Becoming Rain: Collected Writings on Philip Larkin an
outstanding book.
*New Statesman, Books of the Year 2019*
One of the most important and influential writers of our time
*Sunday Times*
In Somewhere Becoming Rain, Clive James’s collected essays on the
poetry of Philip Larkin, the brilliance of James’s analysis, his
clear-sighted view of Larkin’s solitude and humanity, and the
fragile friendship between the two recorded in the book’s final
pages, provide a monument to human connection and isolation
together. It’s a perfect example of the “almost instinct” Larkin
managed to prove “almost true” (hedging his bets to the end) – that
what will survive of us is love.
*Guardian*
A collection of witty essays by a great critic about a great poet .
. . What will survive of Larkin is the work, and this small book is
a joyful immersion in it. This is the finest critic of his
generation on the best poet of his lifetime
*The Times*
This slim collection of Clive James’ writings on Philip Larkin
demonstrates both a life-long passion for the poet’s work and a
deep critical endeavour to rehabilitate his reputation as one of
the greatest poets of the 20th century. A collection to savour
two-fold – for the genius of Larkin and the playful erudition of
James
*Financial Times*
This is a tribute to Larkin’s poems. James is good at reminding us
why and how they were powerful, multivalent and memorable . . . He
is also unusually observant. His parallels between Larkin and
Montale are elucidating
*TLS*
[James] was what you might call a massive Philip Larkin fan. His
specific fandom was feverish and absolute – and also, because he
was Clive James, deeply considered and beautifully expressed . . .
it’s a privilege to look back at Larkin – all of Larkin – through
the prism of [James’s] appreciation
*Atlantic*
Perceptive . . . This volume also allows the reader to delight in
James’s own prose, which surely rivals Larkin’s in the wit and
insight stakes
*The Crack*
The late Clive James had much in common with Philip Larkin . . . In
verse and prose, both blazed with wit and wrote scores of memorable
lines . . . although their work was laced with sadness, few writers
since have written with such beauty and gratitude about the
world
*Review 31*
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