Global Game

John Turnbull is a freelance writer on soccer and an editorial consultant. He maintains www.theglobalgame.com, a soccer Web site with an accent on women's soccer, media, and culture. Translator and author Thom Satterlee is associate professor of English at Taylor University. Alon Raab is a lecturer in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of California, Davis, and the author of articles, reviews, and interviews. Contributors: Rafael Alberti, Eduard Bass, Nalinaksha Bhattacharya, Hebe de Bonafini, Lawrence Cann, Bridget Carson, Hernán Casciari, Elvis Costello, Edilberto Coutinho, Erik Eggers, Friedrich Christian Delius, György Dragomán, Philippe Dubath, Álvaro Enrigue, Eduardo Galeano, Günter Grass, Einar Már Guðmundsson, William Heyen, Miroslav Holub, Ted Hughes, Ian Jack, Elísabet Jökulsdóttir, Ephraim Kishon, Simon Kuper, Anatoly Kuznetsov, Driton Latifi, Donna J. Gelagotis Lee, Mario Vargas Llosa, Subcomandante Marcos, Javier Marías, Andrew Marshall, Stanley Matthews, Christopher Merrill, Mássimo Moratti, Lady Murasaki, Mark Nuttall, Giovanna Pollarolo, Julio Ramón Ribeyro, Paul Richards, Klaus Rifbjerg, Nelson Rodrigues, María Graciela Rodríguez, Umberto Saba, Matilde Sánchez, Thom Satterlee, Rogelio Ramos Signes, Charles Simic, Antonio Skármeta, Osvaldo Soriano, David Starkey, Gay Talese, Crispin Thomas, Bea Vidacs, Luiz Vilela, Sarah Wardle, Ch'ao Yueh-chih, and Uroš Zupan.

"As much social commentary as a compendium of soccer tales and soccer reflections, this delightful collection is essential reading for the soccer fan and those interested in soccer and sport generally in a global environment. . . . Bringing a variety of writings together in one volume is a credit to the editors, who provide an excellent introduction for each entry."—Library Journal "The first truly global survey of writing on the global game. . . . The collection gives a powerful reminder to Anglo-Saxon literary cultures that football—the most global cultural phenomenon of all—has a rich, multivocal literary tradition."—David Goldblatt, Times Literary Supplement "It is worth every minute of your time to read this collection. You will never see, or experience football (soccer) the same way again."—Marc Jolley, Sports Literature Association "I admit a bias. I'm a soccer fan. If you are, too, this is the book for you. And if you aren't, and you give The Global Game a chance, the light may yet shine upon you."—Bill Littlefield, Only A Game "Those who like or study soccer, and would like to read different perspectives about it, will find much to savor."—Russell Eisenman, MultiCultural Review "From locations that span the stadiums of Burma and Iran to the northern lights over Greenland to the remotest areas of Sierra Leone, the writers celebrate the players, fans, rituals, and politics of the world's most popular sport."—Duke Magazine "This anthology's successful use of essays, memoirs, and poetry demonstrates the varied language of soccer."—Gabe Logan, Journal of Sport History

• Preface     Acknowledgments   Note to Readers   Part 1. SpaceIntroduction      1. The Orb  Klaus Rifbjerg2. The Origins    Eduardo Galeano3. Hem and Football     Nalinaksha Bhattacharya4. The Daily Life of Cameroonian Football Bea Vidacs5. The Soccer Moms--1996      David Starkey6. Atiguibas      Julio Ramón Ribeyro7. Why Eleven of All Numbers? Football between Carnival and Freemasonry Erik Eggers8. Klapzuba's Eleven    Eduard Bass9. Holland, a Country of Clubs      Simon Kuper10. Readymade Álvaro Enrigue11. Soccer Fields, Fort Missoula    Bridget Carson12. "Get Him a Body Bag!" (A Brief, Enthusiastic Account)   María Graciela RodríguezPart 2. ImprovisationIntroduction      13. Young Shoots Lady Murasaki14. A Boy Juggling a Soccer Ball    Christopher Merrill15. Fallen from the Sky Javier Marías16. Combing Over History      Stanley Matthews17. Encomiastic Arts of Our National Gamesmen   Antonio Skármeta18. The Longest Penalty Ever  Osvaldo Soriano19. Fretting While the Scarlet Tide Make History      Elvis Costello20. Streaker Disrupts Iceland vs. Albania Einar Már Gumundsson21. Football at Slack Ted Hughes22. Dead Radio   Charles Simic23. Fahrenheit 1976     Rogelio Ramos SignesPart 3. ChallengeIntroduction      24. Dreaming of Sunday Afternoons   Giovanna Pollarolo25. A Fine Fla-Flu      Nelson Rodrigues26. Escaping with the Ball    Luiz Vilela27. Generals and Fools  Andrew Marshall28. 1974    Günter Grass29. End of the World    György Dragomán30. Not So Much a Religion, More a Way of Life  Ian Jack31. Kimmel Springs vs. Metula Ephraim Kishon32. For the Sake of My Right and Not Football   Anonymous33. Let the Games Begin Subcomandante Marcos and Mássimo MorattiPart 4. LossIntroduction      34. On a Painting of Playing Football     Ch'ao Yueh-chih35. Beauty Is Nothing but the Beginning of a Terror We Can Hardly Bear  000Uro Zupan36. Playing Football in Secret      Driton Latifi37. Why Does My Wife Love Peter Crouch?   Thom Satterlee38. The Dynamo Team: Legend and Fact      Anatoly Kuznetsov39. Boycotting the World Cup  Hebe de Bonafini and Matilde Sánchez40. Football in Athens, with Her    Donna J. Gelagotis Lee41. Sierra Leone, Social Learning, and Soccer   Paul Richards42. Parity  William Heyen43. Penalty Phase Gay Talese44. Platko (Santander, May 20, 1928)      Rafael AlbertiPart 5. BeliefIntroduction      45. The Lord's Prayer, Recast Edilberto Coutinho46. Communicate, Lads   Elísabet Jökulsdóttir47. Five Poems for the Game of Soccer     Umberto Saba48. Living to Tell a Tale (Letter to Diego)     Hernán Casciari49. The Empty Pleasure  Mario Vargas Llosa50. Match   Sarah Wardle51. Zidane and Me Philippe Dubath52. The Sunday I Became World Champion    Friedrich Christian Delius53. Art Works Football Club   Lawrence Cann54. Football Is   Crispin Thomas55. Arsarnerit: Inuit and the Heavenly Game of Football     Mark Nuttall56. On the Origin of Football Miroslav HolubSource Acknowledgments  Further Reading