Product details
| Published | 7 June 2024 |
|---|---|
| ISBN | 978-1-915237-39-2 |
| Format | Hardback, eBook |
| Pages | 100 |
| Dimensions | 198 × 129 mm |
Aux Armes!
Sport and the French, an English perspective
Price range: £4.99 through £9.99
A thought-provoking and witty exploration of ‘la différence’ between British and French attitudes to sport.
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Description
What – you may ask is the point of an English perspective on French sport? In David Owen’s own words, “you might just as well seek out a sea otter’s take on kabuki”. Nevertheless, having lived upwards of ten per cent of his life in France, and a lot more than that immersed in French grammar, current affairs and culture, he offers exactly that in this entertaining new book.
Drawing on examples from the past six centuries, the author explores sport’s philosophical standing in France’s cultural DNA; its role in the popularisation of the Republic; the birth of the Olympics, the Tour de France and the football World Cup; French pre-eminence at real tennis and truffle hunting; and – of course – ‘la différence’ between British and French attitudes to sport.
As much a cultural appraisal as a history of Gallic athletic endeavour, Aux Armes! is well-researched, witty and enlightening in equal measure.
Praise for Aux Armes!
About the Author
David Owen is a former sports editor of the Financial Times, for which he worked for twenty years in the USA, Canada, France and Great Britain. A leading authority on the Olympic movement, he wrote a weekly column for the insidethegames.biz website for many years. His other books include Foinavon: The Story of the Grand National’s Biggest Upset, Thomi Keller: A Life in Sport, Rain Starts Play and A Short History of Cricket at Everdon Hall.
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