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A review by kanjimanji
Cultural Amnesia: Necessary Memories from History and the Arts by Clive James
2.0
A tale about known cultural characters that follows no timeline but the alphabetical order of their names.
At times, the writing is early reminiscent of the work of Edward Gibbons, who the author diligently roasted for carrying an unnecessary cumbersome syntax. And, the story often suddenly breaks off into a wild tangent. You may think you are about to uncover some cunning insights about Michael Mann, and you suddenly delve into why Val Kilmer tilts his head in a weird way in Heat. That unpredictability feels good, somehow, and complements the lack of chronological structure. Instead of reading a book, it feels like you are shooting the shit with a very knowledgeable friend about art history.
At times, the writing is early reminiscent of the work of Edward Gibbons, who the author diligently roasted for carrying an unnecessary cumbersome syntax. And, the story often suddenly breaks off into a wild tangent. You may think you are about to uncover some cunning insights about Michael Mann, and you suddenly delve into why Val Kilmer tilts his head in a weird way in Heat. That unpredictability feels good, somehow, and complements the lack of chronological structure. Instead of reading a book, it feels like you are shooting the shit with a very knowledgeable friend about art history.