Book Jacket
"Funny, wise and true." --
Roddy Doyle "A brilliant book by one of the best writers around--not just a book about football, but a book about love, death and the feather-cut." --Julie Burchill
"A lovely book, by turns vivid, wise, sad, jubilant, enraged and very, very funny. I read it in one sitting." --Pete Davies I have measured out my life in Arsenal Fixtures, and any event of any significance has a footballing shadow. When did my first real love affair end? The day after a disappointing 2-2 draw at home to Coventry. For a man to chronicle his life in match reports may be a mark of his ingenuity. It is certainly a measure of his obsession.
Nick Hornby's affliction first took hold in 1968 when, as a sombre eleven-year-old, he saw Arsenal beat Stoke City (1-0 from a penalty rebound). From that first momentous afternoon, and for the next twenty-four years, the swings and shifts of his own life became inextricably linked with the changing fortunes of his team. The blind faith of childhood, adolescent alienation, adult neuroses--all were played out on the terraces at Highbury. A brilliant blend of personal insight and reportage, Fever Pitch is not just about goals and rain and semi-final replays. It's also about suburbia, death, sex and ambition. It is the most memorable picture ever produced of what is to be a fan. Fellow sufferers, and those who have to live with them, will recognise the symptoms, no matter what the team, or what the obsession.
About the Author
Nick Hornby was born in 1957 and worked as a teacher before becoming a full time writer. He lives in north London.