My Favourite Year: A Collection of New Football Writing [Paperback]

Nick Hornby (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 28, 1993

An anthology on the experience of being a football fan. Each piece centres on one season in the life of one club.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Nick Hornby was born in 1957 and worked as a teacher before becoming a full t --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Gollancz/Witherby (October 28, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0854932364
• ISBN-13: 978-0854932368
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,507,287 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Nick Hornby is the author of the novels A Long Way Down, How to Be Good (a New York Times bestseller), High Fidelity, and About a Boy, and of the memoir Fever Pitch. He is also the author of Songbook, a finalist for a National Book Critics Circle Award, and editor of the short-story collection Speaking with the Angel. He is also the recipient of the American Academy of Arts and Letters E. M. Forster Award, and the Orange Word International Writers London Award 2003.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Soccer, the chess of the green field, January 9, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: My Favourite Year: A Collection of New Football Writing (Paperback)

You've probably tuned into this page because of your Nick Hornby-admiration. If so, ther is a few things that has to be mentioned. This book is a collection of football (soccer) writing, it's not a Nick Hornby-extravaganza. The different stories are contributed by a number of british autors, who also have a great interest in football. Therefor, if you've read Hi Fidelity and loved it, but are hesitating about Fever Pitch, because of its sporty content, then you'll probably hate this one. On the other hand, if you. like me, love the true game (football (soccer)), then this is a compilation better than the most. There are a mixture of humour, tears, anger and joy, when the authors are describing their favourite teams during a given season. Especially one story, by Harry Pearson, about Middlesbrough should be pointed out. The irony of the team's recess is extraordinary british and makes you a very proud owner of the book. Nick Hornby himself has also contributed with one of the better stories, but surprisingly not about Arsenal.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The passion of passions, April 21, 2000

By 

Alexandre Bertoldi (São Paulo, Brazil) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Favourite Year: A Collection of New Football Writing (Paperback)

Books about sports tend to be "subliterature". "My favourite year" would definitely be an exception to this rule - if it was a book about sports, or, more specifically, about football. But this collection of short stories is much more than that, utilizing events and facts related to football to describe human passion in its rawest and most exacerbated form. No matter the country, team or period, the stories reflect the kind of love (passionate, unilateral, unjustifiable, absurd, unconditional, etc.) that football fans all around the world know very well. Even with two or three less inspired stories, it is a highly enjoyable read throughout.Among many smiles and memories, it can even at moments bring tears to the eyes of the more emotional fans like myself.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mixed bag, March 18, 2003

By 

Robertomelbourne (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Favourite Year: A Collection of New Football Writing (Paperback)

Unfortunately this is a mixed bag.

As usual, most anthologies or collection of essays from a range of authors tend to have the `good', the `bad' and the `ugly'. It is no different with this collection.

Ultimately, determining the good and the bad is dependent on personal choice. I found the majority of the essays to be rather dull, and uninspiring. Hornby's piece was probably typical.

However there were three essays that made the experience pleasurable, as they described the highs and lows of the season, the love and hate of following a club and being a ardent club supporter, and the drama that overlays it all.

The central premise of putting together a collection of authors to write about a season in the history of their club, and from the fans perspective, is to be applauded. But somehow, the expectation and the output never quite meet.