'Just . . . moving at different speeds'

 

“Fiction is life with the dull bitsleft out.” – Clive James
Born in Australia on this date in 1939, James was an author, critic,broadcaster, poet and humorist who broke into the writing world inthe 1970s as a television critic for TheObserver magazine.  He gained a widereading audience with his autobiographical series Unreliable Memoirs,first published in 1980, and his acclaimed sketches of famous 20th century figures, Cultural Amnesia.
James, who died in November of 2019, also had four novels and severalbooks of poetry published, including The Book of My Enemy (2003), a volume thattakes its title from his earlier humorous poem "The Book of My Enemy HasBeen Remaindered” (a term in bookselling where books are relegated to the "last gasp" discount bin).
 [image error]Humor, James said, is an essential partof every writer’s arsenal.    “Common senseand a sense of humor are the same thing, moving at different speeds.  A sense of humor is just common sense,dancing.”