SKU: 33221574885

Opal Sunset: Selected Poems, 1958-2008

Sale price$16.06 Regular price$17.84
Save 10%

Shipping Estimate
USA
  • USA
  • CAN

Ships within 48 hours · Estimated delivery Jul 13 - Jul 18

Promo Codes Available:

For Your Every Summer RSVP, with Code: SUMMER15

Description

Opal Sunset: Selected Poems, 1958-2008Opal Sunset marks the exuberant introduction of Clive James's poetry to an American audience. Praised after the publication of Cultural Amnesia as one of the finest prose stylists of his generation, Clive James is now, with the publication of this collection, being granted recognition as the poet he has always been. For much of his long career it was hard to realize that James's gift for poetry underlay his achievements in other fields. First as a

Opal Sunset marks the exuberant introduction of Clive James's poetry to an American audience.

Praised after the publication of Cultural Amnesia as one of the finest prose stylists of his generation, Clive James is now, with the publication of this collection, being granted recognition as the poet he has always been.

For much of his long career it was hard to realize that James's gift for poetry underlay his achievements in other fields. First as a television critic on Fleet Street, and later as a television personality in his own right, he achieved such fame for writing the way he spoke that his poetry was regarded as an idiosyncratic sideline, as if no celebrity could write worthy verse. A conundrum presented itself: how could a serious poet also be a television star? But for James, a duty to the discipline of verse was always fundamental, and his accumulated poetic output became impossible to ignore.

As early as the 1970s, James's long, mock epic "Peregrine Prykke's Pilgrimage through the London Literary World" received almost unprecedented attention in his adopted England, while later, his satirical short poem "The Book of My Enemy Has Been Remaindered" became not only a standard verse quoted at fancy dinner parties but entered the culture as lines to be memorized by unpublished writers everywhere. James was suddenly in the odd position of having written famous poems well before he became a famous poet. Finally, the publication of a volume of his collected verse, The Book of My Enemy, earned him in 2003 the reputation as a serious poet that he has long deserved.

Less inhibited by fixed categories, a new generation of critics has confirmed what James's public has instinctively known, that he brings his poems to life with all the resources to be found in his prose: wit, imagination, social observation, and a dazzling play of language. In addition, his poems have an unmistakably characteristic rhythm that makes it compulsory to read them aloud. Switching between strict stanzas and free forms as the occasion suits, James brings a compulsively readable coherence to either mode; and always, over and above the binding force of his metrical assurance, there is a lyricism that brings even the plainest statement to extra life, and which often enters deeply into realms of human emotion. His later poems about the tragedy that struck his mother and father, for example, show an intensity of regret that mark his maturity as a poet and bring out his unashamed nostalgia for his homeland, Australia.

Opal Sunset is a treasure chamber of epigrammatic jewels to which the reader will return again and again.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Published: 03/01/2010
ISBN: 9780393337358
Pages: 204
Weight: 0.69lbs
Size: 8.94h x 6.56w x 0.61d
Shipping Notes
  • Free Standard Shipping on $100+ Orders to the USA.
  • Except Preorder products are shipped in 48 hours.
  • Delivery to the USA:
  1. Standard Shipping : 3-10 business days
  • If time is of the essence, please consider selecting expedited delivery for faster service.
Exchange/Return Notes
  • We offer a 30-day return/exchange service after receiving.
  • Final sale items are not eligible for returns or exchanges.
  • To process your return/exchange, please contact us at [email protected]
  • Please click here for more details>>> Return & Exchange Policy
SKU: 33221574885

Discover Niche Categories That Outsell

Top-Converting Item to Boost Your Average Order

4.3 ★★★★★
Based on 1987 reviews
Sort
Highest Rating
Newest First
Oldest First
Product Reviews
X
Verified Purchase
xixi
Phoenix, US
★★★★★ 5
Good
It's a great fit for my dog. It's large and fluffy. My dog pee on it, and it can be easily washed by washing machine. Really convenient!
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2025
M
Verified Purchase
Marisa Alfano
Phoenix, US
★★★★★ 3
not for active chewing dogs or puppies.
This is a lovely mat- which my dog chewed to bits the second time I put it in their crate. Using blankets now- they have better longevity.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2026
R
Verified Purchase
Reba
Whiting, US
★★★★★ 4
Update: changed stars
Update: after liberal application of catnip, the cats will use it! Looks nice, thickness seems good. They all acted interested until they stepped on it. Not sure if it’s the sound or the crunchy texture, they have avoided it for 3 days now.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2025
M
Verified Purchase
Marina Menyaylenko
Alexandria, US
★★★★★ 5
cats like the mat
Cats love kneading this, laying on it. I bought it for them to jump down on, and that it not what it's made for. There is no foam, nothing absorbing shock. It's just a thin pad with fluff. But its soft and nice to lay on.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2024
J
Verified Purchase
J1208
Massapequa, US
★★★★★ 5
Cleans up nicely
I’m using this for our new puppy in his crate at night and of course he’s had a few accidents but cleaning this is easy. And it comes out fluffy every time. I think I’ve watched it four times so far and it’s still in great shape.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2024

recommand products