{"product_id":"gate-of-lilacs","title":"Gate Of Lilacs","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBlending the critical essay with poetry, \u003ci\u003eGate of Lilacs\u003c\/i\u003e is a collection of verse written by Clive James in response to – and profoundly inspired by – the work of Marcel Proust.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''James picks out the characters, the motifs and the moments that set his memory ablaze, just as Marcel was able to conjure such visions from a tisane-infused madeleine'' – \u003ci\u003eLiterary Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOver a period of fifteen years Clive James learned French by almost no other method than reading \u003ci\u003eÀ la recherche du temps perdu \u003c\/i\u003e– commonly translated as \u003ci\u003eIn Search of Lost Time\u003c\/i\u003e, or \u003ci\u003eRemembrance of Things Past\u003c\/i\u003e. Then he spent half a century trying to get up to speed with Proust''s great novel in two different languages. \u003ci\u003eGate of Lilacs\u003c\/i\u003e is the unique product of James''s love of and engagement with Proust''s masterpiece. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith\u003ci\u003e À la recherche du temps perdu\u003c\/i\u003e, Proust, in James''s words, ''followed his creative instinct all the way until his breath gave out'', and now James has done the same. In \u003ci\u003eGate of Lilacs\u003c\/i\u003e, James, a brilliant critical essayist and poet, has blended the two forms into one.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eI had always thought the critical essay and the poem were closely related forms . . . If I wanted to talk about Proust''s poetry beyond the basic level of talking about his language – if I wanted to talk about the poetry of his thought – then the best way to do it might be to write a poem.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn the end, if \u003ci\u003eÀ la recherche du temps perdu\u003c\/i\u003e is a book devoted almost entirely to its author''s gratitude for life, for love, and for art, this much smaller book is devoted to its author''s gratitude for Proust.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eClive James \u003c\/b\u003e(1939–2019) was a broadcaster, critic, poet, memoirist and novelist. His acclaimed poetry includes the collection \u003ci\u003eSentenced to Life\u003c\/i\u003e and a translation of Dante''s \u003ci\u003eThe Divine Comedy\u003c\/i\u003e, both \u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestsellers. His passion for and knowledge of poetry are distilled in his book of criticism on the subject, \u003ci\u003ePoetry Notebook\u003c\/i\u003e, and, written in the last year of his life, his personal annotated anthology of favourite poems, \u003ci\u003eThe Fire Of Joy\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for Clive James:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''He will be seen, I think, as one of the most important and influential writers of our time'' – Bryan Appleyard, \u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''Wise, witty, terrifying, unflinching and extraordinarily alive'' – A.S. Byatt, critic and author of \u003ci\u003ePossession: A Romance\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''Clive James is a true poet'' – Peter Porter, \u003ci\u003eLondon Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"MediaPlace","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57317786812798,"sku":"NW9781509812356","price":15.29,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1379\/1261\/files\/9781509812356.jpg?v=1778722761","url":"https:\/\/mediaplace.com\/products\/gate-of-lilacs","provider":"MediaPlace","version":"1.0","type":"link"}