Cultural Amnesia: Notes in the Margin of My Time

This is a sprawling, divergent intellectual adventure that’s both thought-provoking and entertaining. It’s an unsurprising combination from James, the consummate intellectual entertainer. This vast project, a collection of short biographical essays on some of the 20th-century’s most influential cultural figures, evolved from James’s habit of making notes in the margins of his home library. (Some figures from previous ages who have significantly influenced 20th century thought are also included.) Cultural Amnesia reflects those beginnings: the essays here are an intoxicating mix of personal engagement, measured reflection, telling detail and unusual anecdote. James writes: ‘In this book can be heard the merest outside edge of an enormous conversation.’ Taken together as a whole, these carefully selected portraits form a nuanced picture of the achievements and legacy of the last century.