Sports and Short Stories

I always wondered how fiction around sports or sports as a backdrop looks like (I am not referring to sports reporting where there are many great examples). Over the last six months, I have had an opportunity to read a few stories with sports as the theme/ backdrop and found them to be pretty entertaining and in a couple of instances dazzling. Here are a few I liked; each masterly in its own way:

1. The Maltese Cat – Rudyard Kipling (Horse Polo – set in times of Raj. Kipling makes use of parallel conversations between horses and players to tell a great story)

2. The Roman Kid – Paul Gallico (Boxing)

3. The Witch of Woonsapucket – Paul Gallico (Golf)

4. A Piece of Steak – Jack London (Boxing)

5. Kwoon – Charles Johnson ( Karate)

6. Let There Be Light – Arthur C Clarke (Football – Hilarious piece on convex mirrors, focal points and football – ingenious stuff)

Barring Kipling’s tale which focuses on the complexities of the game and sportsmanship, all others tell a moving human story centered around a/the sport.

In the Voodoo Lounge…

What I really like about this gig/show is not just the quality of performance but how gently Stevie Wonder handles such massive crowds…Reminded me of that well written essay by Salman Rushdie titled ” In the Voodo Lounge“…(What a clever choice of words for a title !!)… It is an essay of his observations about rock concerts like these (both on stage and off stage)…. This is how he describes his experiences:

“In a successful stadium rock show, the audience becomes the event as much as the performers or the set…… Light surrounds you like a wall. You can just about see beyond the bouncers to the first rows of upturned faces but, beyond that, zilch. The space feels almost intimate; then the invisible crowd roars like a sci-fi beast and you, well, if you are a novelist who has somehow strayed out here, you panic. What are you supposed to do with an audience this big? Sing to it? But – as in all the best nightmares – you can’t sing a note. At which point, the authentic Rock Star takes charge. Standing next to the Star, watch him coax, caress, and control the invisible Hydra out there, you feel more than impressed. You feel grateful“

It is a great essay which rock aficionados should read without fail….