We only had news of this this morning: that John Clarke has died, aged 68. There is much to be said about this wonderful gentle and achingly creative man. And I’m guessing that will flow pretty quickly now from the many people who knew, loved and admired him. For our part we’d just like to offer some of the last words he wrote for Meanjin. They were, in his typical way, superbly crafted and full of the luminescence of his unmatchable wit.
John Clarke’s Commonplace column for Summer Meanjin 2016.
John Clarke’s Commonplace column for Autumn Meanjin 2017.