Description
Set against the upheavals of pre- and post–World War II Europe, this novel follows Émile, a young man whose life is redirected by history and chance into the demanding world of running. Beginning with an unlikely start and a fiercely self-directed training regimen, he gradually emerges from obscurity into competitive athletics, where talent is tested as much by discipline and endurance as by circumstance. As his victories mount, the story also turns to the pressures of political power and the ways communist control reshapes personal ambition, turning sport into both refuge and instrument. With Jean Echenoz’s crisp, kinetic style and a portrait-like focus on movement and will, the book captures the paradox of athletic freedom under constraint—an inspiring, unsentimental account of how a runner becomes a champion.
Available Editions
paperback
The New Press
Published Jan 1, 2009
126 pages
ISBN: 9781595584731
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Details
First Published
2008
Language
fra
Translation
From: fra
Content Warnings
No content warnings identified.