Haunts of the Black Masseur: The Swimmer as Hero - Couverture souple

Sprawson, Charles

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 0099577240 ISBN 13 : 9780099577249

Editeur : Vintage Classics, 2013

Synopsis

"Haunts of the Black Masseur" is a dazzling introduction to the great swimming heroes: Byron leaping into the surf at Shelley's beach funeral, Hart Crane, swallow-diving to his death in the Bay of Mexico, Ulysses, Leander, Weismuller and many more. In lively prose bursting with anecdote, Charles Sprawson leads us into a watery world populated by lithe demi-Gods - one that has obsessed humans from the ancient Greeks and Romans, to Yeats, Virginia Woolf, F. Scott Fitzgerald and David Hockney. Original, enticing and dripping with references to literature, film, art and Olympic history, this cult swimming classic pays sparkling tribute to water and the cultural meanings we attach to it.

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur :

A new re-issue of the cult swimming classic, a beautiful read filled with detailed description and powerful prose.

WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY AMY LIPTROT

‘A luminously romantic history of swimming’ Guardian

Haunts of the Black Masseur is a dazzling introduction to the great swimming heroes, from Byron leaping into the surf at Shelley's funeral to Hart Crane diving to his death in the Bay of Mexico. Bursting with anecdotes, Charles Sprawson leads us into a watery world populated by lithe demi-gods – a world that has obsessed humans from the ancient Greeks and Romans, to Yeats, Woolf, Fitzgerald and Hockney.

Original, enticing and dripping with references to literature, film, art and Olympic history, this cult swimming classic pays sparkling tribute to water and the cultural meanings we attach to it.

‘This splendid and wholly original book is as zestful as a plunge in champagne’ Iris Murdoch

Revue de presse :

"[Sprawson] has an ornate style of prose, apparently smooth, but rippling with wit and candour... Haunts of the Black Masseur was a delight when I read it first time round and 25 years on, it strikes me as even better" (Craig Brown Mail on Sunday)

"­Original and sparkling... A haunting, sensual, slippery read that will make you long for seaweed on your skin and sand between your toes. A must for swimmers" (Rebecca Wallersteiner The Lady)

"A wholly original idea...a brilliant translation of a singular passion" (Alan Ross Times Literary Supplement)

"A devoted and luminously romantic history of swimming" (Guardian)

"An exhilarating plunge into some of the deepest pools inside our heads... Magnificently obsessive, this social and cultural history of swimming is the best book I read this year" (J G Ballard)

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: Vintage Classics
• Date d'édition: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0099577240
• ISBN 13: 9780099577249
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 336