The Fire of Joy: Roughly 80 Poems to Get by Heart and Say Aloud cover image

The Fire of Joy: Roughly 80 Poems to Get by Heart and Say Aloud, Clive James

£14.95

The Fire of Joy: Roughly 80 Poems to Get by Heart and Say Aloud, Clive James

Name: The Fire of Joy: Roughly 80 Poems to Get by Heart and Say Aloud, Clive James
Brand: Broadhursts Books
SKU: 1850
Price: 14.95 GBP
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Clive James read, learned and recited poetry aloud for most of his life. In this book, completed before just before his death, he offers a selection of his favourite poems and a personal commentary on each.

In the last months of his life, his vision impaired by surgery and unable to read, Clive James explored the treasure-house of his mind: the poems he knew best, so good that he didn’t just remember them, he found them impossible to forget. The Fire of Joy is the record of this final journey of recollection and celebration. Enthralled by poetry all his life, James knew hundreds of poems by heart. In offering this selection of his favourites, a succession of poems from the sixteenth century to the present, his aim is to inspire you to discover and to learn, and perhaps even to speak poetry aloud.

In his highly personal anthology, James offers a commentary on each of the eighty or so poems: sometimes a historical or critical note on the poem or its author, sometimes a technical point about the poem’s construction from someone who was himself a poet, sometimes a personal anecdote about the role the poem played in his own life.

Whether you’re familiar with a poem or not ― whether you’re familiar with poetry in general or not ― these chatty, unpretentious, often tender mini-essays convey the joy of James’s enthusiasm and the benefit of his knowledge. His urgent wish was to share with a new generation what he himself had loved. This is a book to be read cover to cover or dipped into: either way it generously opens up a world for our delight.

ISBN: 9781529042085

Book Condition: New

Book Authors: Clive James

Book Publisher: Picador

Book Language: en

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Book Pages: 278

Book Publication Year: 2020

Book Publication Date: October 1, 2020

Book Binding: Hardcover

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Book Condition Guide

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Condition	Description
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Fine	The book is close to As New. It remains bright and attractive, but could show minor imperfections to the boards and/or dust jacket (if present). Its pages are typically clean and unmarked.
Near Fine	The book has a number of small flaws, i.e. slight rubbing to the edges, or tiny chips or creases to the dust jacket (if present). Its pages may have faint marks, or creases that are barely perceptible — nothing that detracts from their overall condition.
Very Good	The book maintains its structural integrity, and has no major flaws such as tears to its binding or pages. It may, however, show signs of careful use, handling, or storage — small marks and creases, light foxing. Its dust jacket (if present) remains fully intact, but small tears may be present.
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