The 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, Hernan Casciari, Elvis Costello, Edilberto Coutinho, Erik Eggers, Friedrich Christian Delius, Gyoergy Dragoman, Philippe Dubath, Alvaro Enrigue, Eduardo Galeano, Guenter Grass, Einar Mar Gu?mundsson, William Heyen, Miroslav Holub, Ted Hughes, Ian Jack, Elisabet Joekulsdottir, Ephraim Kishon, Simon Kuper, Anatoly Kuznetsov, Driton Latifi, Donna J. Gelagotis Lee, Mario Vargas Llosa, Subcomandante Marcos, Javier Marias, Andrew Marshall, Stanley Matthews, Christopher Merrill, Massimo Moratti, Lady Murasaki, Mark Nuttall, Giovanna Pollarolo, Julio Ramon Ribeyro, Paul Richards, Klaus Rifbjerg, Nelson Rodrigues, Maria Graciela Rodriguez, Umberto Saba, Matilde Sanchez, Thom Satterlee, Rogelio Ramos Signes, Charles Simic, Antonio Skarmeta, Osvaldo Soriano, David Starkey, Gay Talese, Crispin Thomas, Bea Vidacs, Luiz Vilela, Sarah Wardle, Ch'ao Yueh-chih, and Uros Zupan.

Preface Acknowledgments Note to Readers Part 1. Space Introduction 1. The Orb Klaus Rifbjerg 2. The Origins Eduardo Galeano 3. Hem and Football Nalinaksha Bhattacharya 4. The Daily Life of Cameroonian Football Bea Vidacs 5. The Soccer Moms--1996 David Starkey 6. Atiguibas Julio Ramon Ribeyro 7. Why Eleven of All Numbers? Football between Carnival and Freemasonry Erik Eggers 8. Klapzuba's Eleven Eduard Bass 9. Holland, a Country of Clubs Simon Kuper 10. Readymade Alvaro Enrigue 11. Soccer Fields, Fort Missoula Bridget Carson 12. "Get Him a Body Bag!" (A Brief, Enthusiastic Account) Maria Graciela Rodriguez Part 2. Improvisation Introduction 13. Young Shoots Lady Murasaki 14. A Boy Juggling a Soccer Ball Christopher Merrill 15. Fallen from the Sky Javier Marias 16. Combing Over History Stanley Matthews 17. Encomiastic Arts of Our National Gamesmen Antonio Skarmeta 18. The Longest Penalty Ever Osvaldo Soriano 19. Fretting While the Scarlet Tide Make History Elvis Costello 20. Streaker Disrupts Iceland vs. Albania Einar Mar Gumundsson 21. Football at Slack Ted Hughes 22. Dead Radio Charles Simic 23. Fahrenheit 1976 Rogelio Ramos Signes Part 3. Challenge Introduction 24. Dreaming of Sunday Afternoons Giovanna Pollarolo 25. A Fine Fla-Flu Nelson Rodrigues 26. Escaping with the Ball Luiz Vilela 27. Generals and Fools Andrew Marshall 28. 1974 Guenter Grass 29. End of the World Gyoergy Dragoman 30. Not So Much a Religion, More a Way of Life Ian Jack 31. Kimmel Springs vs. Metula Ephraim Kishon 32. For the Sake of My Right and Not Football Anonymous 33. Let the Games Begin Subcomandante Marcos and Massimo Moratti Part 4. Loss Introduction 34. On a Painting of Playing Football Ch'ao Yueh-chih 35. Beauty Is Nothing but the Beginning of a Terror We Can Hardly Bear 000 Uro Zupan 36. Playing Football in Secret Driton Latifi 37. Why Does My Wife Love Peter Crouch? Thom Satterlee 38. The Dynamo Team: Legend and Fact Anatoly Kuznetsov 39. Boycotting the World Cup Hebe de Bonafini and Matilde Sanchez 40. Football in Athens, with Her Donna J. Gelagotis Lee 41. Sierra Leone, Social Learning, and Soccer Paul Richards 42. Parity William Heyen 43. Penalty Phase Gay Talese 44. Platko (Santander, May 20, 1928) Rafael Alberti Part 5. Belief Introduction 45. The Lord's Prayer, Recast Edilberto Coutinho 46. Communicate, Lads Elisabet Joekulsdottir 47. Five Poems for the Game of Soccer Umberto Saba 48. Living to Tell a Tale (Letter to Diego) Hernan Casciari 49. The Empty Pleasure Mario Vargas Llosa 50. Match Sarah Wardle 51. Zidane and Me Philippe Dubath 52. The Sunday I Became World Champion Friedrich Christian Delius 53. Art Works Football Club Lawrence Cann 54. Football Is Crispin Thomas 55. Arsarnerit: Inuit and the Heavenly Game of Football Mark Nuttall 56. On the Origin of Football Miroslav Holub Source Acknowledgments Further Reading

"This volume features an irresistible combination: wonderfully rich essays and deeply nuanced literature, authored by brilliant writers, hailing from different cultures united in their love for soccer, that simple but oh so beautiful game. Kudos to the volume's editors for enriching us with these fine texts." Andrei Markovits, author of Offside: Soccer and American Exceptionalism "[T]he first truly global survey of writing on the global game. We should be grateful...Alongside Britain, the first great centres of footballing innovation were Central Europe and Latin America, and both are well represented here...the style and tone and subject matter of the pieces in this book are as diverse as the 208 member nations of FIFA...that in itself is one of the joys of dipping into The Global Game. But even better, 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, 9th Jan 2009 "There are some excellent pieces...Ian Jack is evocative in discussing Dunfermline, Slovenian poet Uros Zupan's piece on beauty and loss is poignant, and Mark Nuttall's on the importance of football to the Inuit is fascinating." Jonathan Wilson, FOURFOURTWO, Feb 2009