| ||||||||||||||||||||
Détails sur le produit
Souhaitez-vous compléter ou améliorer les informations sur ce produit ? Ou faire modifier les images?
|
The book also covers some of the more recent vintages of Ajax and the Dutch national team in the same way. This shows not only a continuity of cultural thought, but also helps to deal with situations that occurred after the early '70's, such as the influx of other ethnicities into the soccer teams, and the accompanying problems this brought.
"Brilliant Orange" is essential reading for all those who love Dutch soccer. But it will also be entertaining and insightful for anyone interested in the way cultural thought manifests itself in specific areas of life.
Just as the Beatles and the Swinging 60s marked a turning point in Britain, so the new spirit in soccer marked a cultural watershed in the Netherlands. A key figure of those heady days was the prodigiously gifted and outspoken Johann Cruyff, cited by the author as probably the most important and best-known Dutch person alive. Here was a player of such intelligence and physical skill that even ballet superstar Rudolph Nureyev watched him in fascination.
David Winner has doggedly researched his subject, meeting and interviewing many of the key figures. They speak with a distinctive voice and overall the writing evokes a strong sense of place, people and events - not least the (self) defeat of the Dutch in the 1974 World Cup final against Germany. "How come you understand our country so well?" a Dutchman asked me after I shared some of the book's insights with him.
This is an outstanding read for anyone interested in soccer, anyone who has Dutch friends or has ever been to the Netherlands or ever intends to go there. Not to mention anyone who is interested in the importance of sport in the life of societies and nations.
|
