Soccer / Jean-Philippe Toussaint ; translated by Shaun Whiteside.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Toussaint, Jean-Philippe, author.

Contributor:

Whiteside, Shaun, translator.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

World Cup (Soccer).

Soccer--Anecdotes.

Soccer.

Toussaint, Jean-Philippe.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (116 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Canada : Rutgers University Press, [2019]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

Growing up in Belgium, soccer was Jean-Philippe Touissant's life, a passion not shared by his bookish family. Now an acclaimed novelist, essayist, and filmmaker, he reflects upon his lifelong love for the game with an intellectual's keen mind and a sports fan's heart. What, he ponders, has a lifetime of soccer fandom taught him about life and the passage of time itself. Soccer takes readers on an idiosyncratic journey that delves deep into the author's childhood memories, but also transports us to World Cup matches in Japan, Germany, South Africa, and Brazil. Along the way, it kicks around such provocative questions as: How does soccer fandom both support and transcend nationalism? How are our memories of soccer matches both collective and distinctly personal? And how can a game this beautiful and this ephemeral be adequately captured in words? Part travelogue, part memoir, and part philosophical essay, Soccer is entirely unique, a thrilling departure from the usual clichés of sports writing. Even readers with little knowledge of the game will be enthralled by Touissant's profound musings and lyrical prose.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

1. 1998

2. France, 1998

3. Korea/Japan, 2002

4. Germany, 2006

5. South Africa, 2010

6. Brazil, 2014

7. Zidane's Melancholy

About the Author

About the Translator

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781978804715

1978804717

9781978804739

1978804733

OCLC:

1100897665