News

Clive James is dead

Witty, thoughtful, totally self-confident, a champion both of popular culture and serious criticism, a citizen of the world and a walking bag of us, Clive James has finally gone silent.

28 Nov 2019 12:00

David Tiley

Film

That grin when he knew he’d said something outrageous. Clive James on Television, Photo. Channel 9.

How do we feel now that Clive James has died? Empty, melancholy, left to think about his place in the world as a cosmopolitan Australian.

He went to Sydney University along with Germaine Greer, Les Murray, Robert Hughes, John Bell, Bruce Beresford and Madeleine St John, and experimented with pretentiousness as a way to survive his move from Kogarah to post-imperial intellectualism.

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David Tiley

David Tiley was the Editor of Screenhub from 2005 until he became Content Lead for Film in 2021 with a special interest in policy. He is a writer in screen media with a long career in educational programs, documentary, and government funding, with a side order in script editing. He values curiosity, humour and objectivity in support of Australian visions and the art of storytelling.