Praise for Sentenced to Life‘James’s confrontation with his approaching death is nothing short of inspirational’ Joan Bakewell, Independent‘Wise, witty, terrifying, unflinching and extraordinarily alive . . . both a great pleasure and a chill in the nerves’ A. S. Byatt, Guardian‘James has approached the time of his vanishing with grace and good humour, not sentimentality or anger. These poems are death-haunted but radiant with the felt experience of what it means to be alive’ Financial Times‘Here are these amazing works, highly praised, technically and emotionally heart-stopping poems reflecting gratefully on a life . . . James’s famous voice twinkles even in his weakened state’ Douglas Murray, Spectator‘James’s recent poems . . . represent the very best work James has ever done in verse’ Jason Guriel, New Republic