I watched an interview of Clive James by Kerry O'Brien and it was a such an interesting dialogue with an special person who is truly gifted with an ability to express himself in the written form.
There are words and expressions that he uses that plays with one's mind and Clive is an extraordinary poet, who also just happens to do so many other things well. Despite being in the middle of a battle with leukemia and emphysema; Clive is incredibly alive and his intellect is as strong as ever.
As I watched I marveled at his gift for using words and making these come to life. Clive talked about his 'Unreliable Memoirs' and in this his is legendary billy-cart races and his uncomfortable teen age years and sexual experiences.
I'm not sure that I ever read any of his Sydney University Honi Soit articles, as our ages are quite different. I am convinced though, that his style and influence was still felt in that radical student mag that I would glance through in the library and delay the reading my prescribed texts.
Clive is writing what will be his last memoir and he is reflecting on his upcoming death. I really hope that he gets to finish this piece of work and it will be truly fitting that he has this chance to write his last chapter.
Some of his most classic quotes are just 'fantastic' to read, here are a few that I found on the internet:
A life without fame can be a good life, but fame without a life is
no life at all”
“Fiction is life with the dull bits left out"
“Stop worrying… nobody gets out of this world alive”
"Experts say men think of sex every 10 seconds... What
do they think of in the other nine?"
