Barca: A People's Passion [Paperback]

Jimmy Burns (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2000

Founded in 1898, FC Barcelona, also know as Barca, is today the world's biggest football club. Its 120,000-seat stadium, Camp Nuo, is one of the great cathedrals of the game, and its museum is the most visited in Spain. This is the story of FC Barcelona and its evolution as a social and political phenomenon.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Excellent...A densely detailed account of the history of F. C. Barcelona ... Coincides with Barcelona's 100th anniversary but it is not in the least pious' DAILY TELEGRAPH 'Burns' examination of the club's fates and fortunes always goes well beyond the game itself...Burns is a brilliant journalist...Unmissable' TOTAL FOOTBALL

About the Author

Jimmy Burns is social affairs and employment correspondent at the FINANCIAL TIMES. His previous books are The Land That Lost Its Heroes, winner of the Somerset Maugham prize for non-fiction; Beyond the Silver River; Spain: A Literary Companion; and the internationally acclaimed Hand of God: The Life of Diego Maradona.

Product Details

• Paperback: 383 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury (March 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0747545545
• ISBN-13: 978-0747545545
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #533,507 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars More than a Club, March 1, 2003

By 

Michael S. Mahoney (Louisville, KY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Barca: A People's Passion (Paperback)

Jimmy Burns writes dispassionately about a football club that evokes the strongest of emotions, including the kind of tribal love that borders on the chauvenistic. Fans of the club interested in modern Spanish history will appreciate the author's intertwining of football and politics. At times, however, this well-researched book feels drained of the game's abundant color and spirit as club presidents receive far more attention than the boot room. Burns presents Barca's story chronologically, offering an absorbing account of the club's creation, but when Franco arrives on the scene, the pages become populated with conniving industrialists. While certainly part of Barca's story, the board room machinations of ambitious suits drown out the passion of the cules.

The last few chapters of this history manage a comeback. Johann Cruyff swoops down on the Catalan capital and with a combination of deft moves and Dutch footballing genius restokes Barca's smoldering fires. Cruyff is the catalyst. The passages describing his obsessiveness and his successors success or failure to embrace the pulsing life of Barcelona are intriguing pictures of the cultural assimilation phenomenon. Dutchmen, who possess a paradoxical nature, both catholic and single-minded, universal and gaulingly self-possessed, obviously feel a kinship with FC Barcelona, with the Catalan spirit. The present manager of the team, Frank Rijkaard, is a perfect example of the Dutchmen that Burns describes as having an essential talismanic role at the club. Forca Barca.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, May 18, 2001

By 

Justin Berkner (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Barca: A People's Passion (Paperback)

Jimmy Burns is a very good writer. In this book he conveys the relationship between the Barcelona football club and the people of the Catalan region of Spain. It's a history of the Catalan people written through their love of their football team. He takes you through the Spanish Civil War (when the only place the Catalan's could display their regional pride was at the stadium) all the way to present day (the rivalry with the Castillon side Real Madrid is as touchy as ever). A great read for any football fan, sports fan or someone interested in history.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars If you love Barca..., September 10, 2005

By 

J. S. Lloyd (Houston TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Barca: A People's Passion (Paperback)

This book provides a great overview of the history of the club, its stars, the machinations of its ruling junta, and the passion of the cules, all against the backdrop of Catalonia's political struggle for identity and independence within Spain. Burns provides some nice historical details and great anecdotes, but, as is to be expected considering the hundred year focus of the book and the complexity of 20th century Spain, necessarily deals with some of the political history in a less comprehensive manner.

Although it at times extremely well-written, the book could have done with tighter editing (hence, 4 stars). Burns repeats his descriptions of individuals and events in subsequent pages and at time his prose is florid and unfocused. Pretty minor complaints, however. Although not uncritical, Burns clearly appreciates what Barca have achieved. He also questions how the club will adjust, or might be changed, in the new century. Overall, the book is an excellent read, and continually succeeds in portraying the people involved as just that, people with passions and short-comings. At the end, you understand why the club embodies true football, why it inspires such passion, and why it's such an important part of Catalonia. Forca Barca!