Beyond A Boundary [Paperback]

C. L. R. James (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1993

In C. L. R. James's classic Beyond a Boundary, the sport is cricket and the scene is the colonial West Indies. Always eloquent and provocative, James--the "black Plato," (as coined by the London Times)--shows us how, in the rituals of performance and conflict on the field, we are watching not just prowess but politics and psychology at play. Part memoir of a boyhood in a black colony (by one of the founding fathers of African nationalism), part passionate celebration of an unusual and unexpected game, Beyond a Boundary raises, in a warm and witty voice, serious questions about race, class, politics, and the facts of colonial oppression. Originally published in England in 1963 and in the United States twenty years later (Pantheon, 1983), this second American edition brings back into print this prophetic statement on race and sport in society.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Everything James has done has had the mark of originality, of his own flexible, sensitive, and deeply cultured intelligence. He conveys not a rigid doctrine but a delight and curiosity in all the manifestions of life, and the clue to everything lies in his proper appreciation of the game of cricket."—E. P. Thompson

About the Author

C. L. R. James (1901–1989), historian, novelist, cultural and political critic and activist, was born in Trinidad. He is the author of numerous books, including his well-known study of the Haitian Revolution, The Black Jacobins (1938).

Product Details

• Paperback: 291 pages
• Publisher: Duke University Press Books (January 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0822313839
• ISBN-13: 978-0822313830
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #332,370 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #14 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Other Team Sports > Cricket

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love C.L.R. James' writing ..., December 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Beyond A Boundary (Paperback)

It doesn't matter what he writes about, this bloke has the goods. James was a real rennaisance man -- political, intellectual and physical. I've never read anyone who wrote about cricket with such depth and understanding. James makes the quantum leap from writing just about the game to writing about the different cultural forces in each country that shape the way the game is played. Want to know why such different, national brands of cricket are played in the Windies, England, Australia, Pakistan, South Africa, India or New Zealand? Then read this book. The chapter on W.G. Grace is a particular treat.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Earth-Shattering Book, May 3, 2002

By 

Paul Ortiz (Santa Cruz, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beyond A Boundary (Paperback)

James's "Beyond a Boundary" is one of the finest literary works of the twentieth century. It asks questions that go to the heart of the human condition: where do democratic ideas come from? How does one strive towards self-emancipation in a totalitarian world? What tools may dismantle colonialism and neo-colonialism? What is the relationship between art and everyday life? Oh, and there's the social and cultural analysis of cricket, and how this endeavor fits into the larger picture. "Beyond a Boundary" is often referred to as the founding text of postcolonialism. It is more, far more. A caveat is in order, however. One cannot rush through this book. Take time to digest the ideas. A background in the history of the West Indies is also helpful

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lives up to its reputation, December 1, 2005

By 

John E. Davidson (Purley) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beyond A Boundary (Paperback)

Beyond a Boundary reached number 3 in the UK Observer Sport Monthly's poll of the best fifty sports books of all time. It is burdened with enormous praise; amongst the quotes included on the cover are: `To say "the best cricket book ever written" is pifflingly inadequate praise' and `Great claims have been made for [Beyond a Boundary] since its first appearance in 1963: that it is the greatest sports book ever written; that it brings the outsider a privileged insight into West Indian culture; that it is a severe examination of the colonial condition. All are true.'

The praise is justified. The only way that this is not the best cricket book ever written is if you do not consider it as a cricket book. It is beautifully crafted, transcending the genre: an engaging combination of cricket book, personal memoir and political and cultural commentary. There are other very good books about cricket but this is something more than that. It is a cricket book, a history book, a sociology book and more.

CLR James is a fascinating man: widely travelled, spending long periods in England and the USA as well as Trinidad, an important writer and journalist, a politically active Marxist, instrumental in getting Frank Worrell appointed captain of the West Indies team. The book covers a wide range of subjects including his childhood in Trinidad; great cricketers he has known and watched; Caribbean politics amongst others. For cricket lovers one of the beautiful things about the book is that James loves cricket, he appreciates it as an art form. He possesses the clarity of thought and the prose to convey this love and appreciation to the reader.

In places the book shows its age (it was written in 1963); it is very much of its time: a product of the anti-colonial struggle, and the emergence of West Indies cricket as a serious challenge to the domination of England and Australia. In some places events have overtaken some of his observations and some of the language jars. It is still a fantastic book - amazingly insightful and interesting.

This is a book that no genuine cricket lover should be without.