“Humanity will surpass the first dirigibles as it has surpassed the first locomotives. It will surpass M. Santos-Dumont as it has surpassed Stephenson. After telephotography it will continually invent graphies and scopes and phones, all of which will be tele and one will be able to go around the earth in less than no time. But it will always be only the temporal earth. And it will even be possible to burrow inside the earth and pierce it through as I do this ball of clay. But it will always be the carnal earth.”

— Charles Péguy in 1907

Selected highlights:

New: Observer full index

Help page and FAQ

Late-Period interviews (video)

Cultural Amnesia

Lyrics

A Point of View (audio)

Book Talk: CJ with Peter Porter

Talking in the Library (video)

Television Criticism

Billycart Hill

From the Land of Shadows

Brilliant Creatures

Fame in the 20th Century

Words Fail in the Pacific

Canoe

The River in the Sky

The Rest Is Silence

David Hepworth on The Wire

Mad about 'Mad Men'

Les Murray poems

In the Name of Honour

Charles Charming's Challenge...

Too Much Light

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Copyright

All text and other material such as audio and video is the copyright of Clive James unless otherwise stated.