Robert McCrum shares his favourite books on sport
Writer and editor picks works by Nick Hornby, David Goldblatt and others
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
Homer
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.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
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.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
5 ladylike cartoons about women's role in the election
Cartoons Artists take on the political gender gap, Lady Liberty, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The right to die: what can we learn from other countries?
The Explainer A look at the world's assisted dying laws as MPs debate Kim Leadbeater's proposed bill
By The Week Published
-
Volkswagen on the ropes: a crisis of its own making
Talking Point The EV revolution has 'left VW in the proverbial dust'
By The Week UK Published
-
Juror #2: Clint Eastwood's 'cleverly constructed' courtroom drama is 'rock solid'
The Week Recommends Nicholas Hoult stars in 'morally complex' film about a juror on a high-profile murder case
By The Week UK Published
-
Explore a timeless corner of Spain by bike
The Week Recommends Take a 'dawdling route through the back-country' far from the tourism hotspots
By The Week UK Published
-
Saoirse Ronan: how the actress went viral
In the Spotlight The actress dropped a 'chat-icide bomb' on Graham Norton's BBC show
By The Week UK Published
-
Movies to watch in November, including 'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II'
The Week Recommends A major musical adaptation, a Roman Empire sequel and a movie where Santa gets kidnapped
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
Griddled salmon and vegetables with miso and melted butter recipe
The Week Recommends Hokkaido comfort food classic with a delicious twist
By The Week UK Published
-
Edmund de Waal on this year's Booker Prize shortlist
The Week Recommends The chair of judges details works by Rachel Kushner, Percival Everett and others
By The Week UK Published
-
Shattered: Hanif Kureishi's 'inspirational' memoir of accident that left him paralysed
The Week Recommends 'Exhilarating' book is composed of diary entries dictated to his son Carlo
By The Week UK Published
-
Dr. Strangelove: is stage adaptation of iconic film a 'foolish' move?
Talking Point Steve Coogan puts on a dazzling performance in show that falls short of 'the real thing'
By The Week UK Published