The writer and editor recommends books on the sporting life. His new book, "The Penalty Kick: The Story of a Gamechanger", is about his great-grandfather, who invented the penalty kick.
The Iliad
Is it too fanciful to suggest that Homer is where the penalty kick and the penalty shoot-out begins? The moment we find Achilles sulking in his changing-room over an intolerable slight to his heroic prowess (actually, it's all about a girl), we are in classic single combat territory, replete with the kind of life-and-death psychology that Harry Kane and David Beckham would understand.
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Fever Pitch
Nick Hornby, 1992
A landmark memoir in which football is more than just a thrilling sporting narrative. A young man finds clues to the meaning of life through his devotion to Arsenal: the book that unlocked for me what it means to be a fan.
The Ball is Round
David Goldblatt, 2006
There are many shelves of books about football, but this is the essential guide. An unvarnished history of the game since the industrial revolution, it is well-sourced, dispassionate, comprehensive and impressively lucid.
The Goalkeeper's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick
Peter Handke, 1970
Once the penalty kick was recognised as an existential symbol in Handke's avant- garde crime story, it acquired a resonance that still lingers. From around 1970, penalties became a topic of profound psychological importance, inspiring the emergence of specialist consultants versed in the mysteries of the shoot-out. An Irish invention now became a global televised phenomenon.
What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures
Malcolm Gladwell, 2009
Gladwell (famed for the "tipping point") is a master exponent of sports psychology and sudden death on the football field or tennis court. This collection includes his counterintuitively brilliant essay "The Art of Failure" – read him on "choking" and "panicking" at the penalty spot with your heart in your mouth.
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Film reviews: ‘Bugonia,’ ‘The Mastermind’ and ‘Nouvelle Vague’feature A kidnapped CEO might only appear to be human, an amateurish art heist goes sideways, and Jean-Luc Godard’s ‘Breathless’ gets a lively homage
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Book reviews: ‘Against the Machine: On the Unmaking of Humanity’ and ‘Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice’feature An examination of humanity in the face of “the Machine” and a posthumous memoir from one of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims, who recently died by suicide
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Love chocolate? Travel to these destinations to get your sweet fixThe Week Recommends Treat yourself with chocolate experiences, both internal and external
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One great cookbook: Niloufer Ichaporia King’s ‘My Bombay Kitchen’The Week Recommends A personal, scholarly wander through a singular cuisine
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7 mountain hotels perfect for a tranquil autumn or winter escapeThe Week Recommends Get (altitude) high and unwind
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The 5 best political thriller series of the 21st centuryThe Week Recommends Viewers can binge on most anything, including espionage and the formation of parliamentary coalitions
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The dazzling coral gardens of Raja AmpatThe Week Recommends Region of Indonesia is home to perhaps the planet’s most photogenic archipelago
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Salted caramel and chocolate tart recipeThe Week Recommends Delicious dessert can be made with any biscuits you fancy
