Sentenced to Life: Poems

Sentenced to Life: Poems

<p>"There is an inevitable sadness to this moving collection. This being James, there are also moments of zinging energy and a sense of fun…James will remain in the present tense as those Japanese Maple's leaves continue to turn to flame." —Rebecca K. Morrison, <em>Independent</em></p><br /><p>In this new collection of "technically and emotionally heart-stopping poems" (<em>Spectator</em>)—including "Japanese Maple," which was published in <em>The New Yorker</em> to great acclaim—Clive James looks back over an extraordinarily rich life with a clear-eyed and unflinching honesty. There are regrets but no trace of self-pity in these verses, which—for all their grappling with death and his current illness—are primarily a celebration of what is treasurable and memorable in our time here.</p><br /><p>Again and again, James reminds us that he is not only a poet of effortless wit and lyric accomplishment but also an immensely wise one, who delights in using poetic form to bring a razor-sharp focus to his thought. Miraculously, these poems see James writing with his insight and energy not only undiminished but positively charged by his situation. The poems of <em>Sentenced to Life</em> represents a career high point from one of the greatest literary intellects of our age.</p>