The Ball is Round by David Goldblatt modern fiction intricate characterisation and storytelling verve

intricate characterisation and storytelling verve this triptych novel melds three families and three centuries into a single vision of human frailty and longing

I’ve long thought that these are the people that we should be listening to

From Peter the Great to Putin

and while she did deploy a variety of disguises (many male)

now as inadequate

The Ball is Round by David Goldblatt modern fiction intricate characterisation and storytelling verveFootball conquered the world with its capacity to astonish, and this is its definitive history' The IndependentThere may be no cultural practice more global than soccer. Rites of birth and marriage are infinitely diverse, but the rules of soccer are universal. No world religion can match its geographical scope. The single greatest simultaneous human collective experience is the World Cup final. In this extraordinary tour de force, David Goldblatt