Right, that was a rather long heading, I know. But then The Fight is that sort of book.
You know, when you think of boxing, somehow you don't think of class. You think of two big, muscular men, each trying to beat the other to the canvas, cheered by hundreds of people, baying for blood.
Boxing evokes images that are gladiatorial. Brutal. But not elegant. Not classy.
But then it is not often that someone like Norman Mailer writes about the sport. The man considered by many to be one of the literary greats of the last century, was one of the dozens of writers who flocked to Zaire in 1974 to see what many had hailed as the fight of the century - Muhammad Ali vs George Foreman.
Ali had lost the world heavyweight title a few years ago. Foreman had won it off the man who defeated Ali. Ali was supposed to be old and past it. Foreman a monster who destroyed rather than defeated opponents.
And they were fighting not in Las Vegas or Madison Square Garden, but in the middle of Africa. In Kinshasa, Zaire.
It was a battle not just of two people, but two styles, two religions (Ali insisted on making it a Holy War) and indeed two cultures.
NOW imagine one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century writing about it.
The Fight is Norman Mailer's account of his stay in Africa to cover the Ali-Foreman battle. And well, it is written in his typical flowing style. There is poetry and drama galore, and most important of all, this is not JUST about the bout. That actually forms the last part of the book.
Prior to that, Mailer regales us with talk of his travels through Kinshasa. How he thought he was going to be attacked by a lion. How he tried to get a witch doctor to influence the fight. How he went jogging with Ali.
And then there are the character portraits. Well, you do get to know a lot about both Ali and Foreman, but you do find out so much about the men around them: Dick Sadler, Angelo Dundee, Bundini Brown, Archie Moore...and many others, all told through numerous conversations with Mailer.
The Fight is boxing meets journalism meets travel writing meets biography, in the hands of a master. And yes, the fight itself is the perfect climax to a riveting read spanning 256 pages. Pedants will say the sentences are too long. Readers will just revel in it. Sample this:
"All the while, he used his eyes.
They looked like stars and he feinted Foreman out with his eyes, flashing white eyeballs of panic he did not feel which pulled Foreman into the trick of lurching after him on a wrong move, Ali darting his expression in one direction while cocking his head in another, then staring at Foreman expression to expression, holding him in the eye, soul to soul, muntu to muntu, hugging his head, peeking through gloves..."
You will end up making notes, selecting quotes, and well, you might even carry the book with you everywhere, like I do. Because this is not a book just about boxing. It is about life around a sporting event. About the people. About a nation. And of course, it is also a lot about the man they call The Greatest.
Muhammad Ali.
A lot has been written about the man. By some very good and great writers. But not too many have been able to churn out lines like these about the man:
"Norman did not see how Ali could win.
Defeat was in the air
Ali alone seemed to refuse to breathe."
Boxing has seen many great fights. Not many have inspired great books. Ali and Foreman provided the boxing world with an epic bout in 1974.
And Norman Mailer provided the literary and sporting world with an epic work in 1975. To me, this remains the greatest sports book ever written. Read it. Even if you do not like boxing. At the end of it, you will.
(The Fight by Norman Mailer is available on Amazon. Click the image above or the link below to purchase it).
You know, when you think of boxing, somehow you don't think of class. You think of two big, muscular men, each trying to beat the other to the canvas, cheered by hundreds of people, baying for blood.
Boxing evokes images that are gladiatorial. Brutal. But not elegant. Not classy.
But then it is not often that someone like Norman Mailer writes about the sport. The man considered by many to be one of the literary greats of the last century, was one of the dozens of writers who flocked to Zaire in 1974 to see what many had hailed as the fight of the century - Muhammad Ali vs George Foreman.
Ali had lost the world heavyweight title a few years ago. Foreman had won it off the man who defeated Ali. Ali was supposed to be old and past it. Foreman a monster who destroyed rather than defeated opponents.
And they were fighting not in Las Vegas or Madison Square Garden, but in the middle of Africa. In Kinshasa, Zaire.
It was a battle not just of two people, but two styles, two religions (Ali insisted on making it a Holy War) and indeed two cultures.
NOW imagine one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century writing about it.
The Fight is Norman Mailer's account of his stay in Africa to cover the Ali-Foreman battle. And well, it is written in his typical flowing style. There is poetry and drama galore, and most important of all, this is not JUST about the bout. That actually forms the last part of the book.
Prior to that, Mailer regales us with talk of his travels through Kinshasa. How he thought he was going to be attacked by a lion. How he tried to get a witch doctor to influence the fight. How he went jogging with Ali.
And then there are the character portraits. Well, you do get to know a lot about both Ali and Foreman, but you do find out so much about the men around them: Dick Sadler, Angelo Dundee, Bundini Brown, Archie Moore...and many others, all told through numerous conversations with Mailer.
The Fight is boxing meets journalism meets travel writing meets biography, in the hands of a master. And yes, the fight itself is the perfect climax to a riveting read spanning 256 pages. Pedants will say the sentences are too long. Readers will just revel in it. Sample this:
"All the while, he used his eyes.
They looked like stars and he feinted Foreman out with his eyes, flashing white eyeballs of panic he did not feel which pulled Foreman into the trick of lurching after him on a wrong move, Ali darting his expression in one direction while cocking his head in another, then staring at Foreman expression to expression, holding him in the eye, soul to soul, muntu to muntu, hugging his head, peeking through gloves..."
You will end up making notes, selecting quotes, and well, you might even carry the book with you everywhere, like I do. Because this is not a book just about boxing. It is about life around a sporting event. About the people. About a nation. And of course, it is also a lot about the man they call The Greatest.
Muhammad Ali.
A lot has been written about the man. By some very good and great writers. But not too many have been able to churn out lines like these about the man:
"Norman did not see how Ali could win.
Defeat was in the air
Ali alone seemed to refuse to breathe."
Boxing has seen many great fights. Not many have inspired great books. Ali and Foreman provided the boxing world with an epic bout in 1974.
And Norman Mailer provided the literary and sporting world with an epic work in 1975. To me, this remains the greatest sports book ever written. Read it. Even if you do not like boxing. At the end of it, you will.
(The Fight by Norman Mailer is available on Amazon. Click the image above or the link below to purchase it).
Just ordered
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