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Denmark | ‘The Orb,’ by Klaus Rifbjerg (chapter 1)

Translator and volume co-editor Thom Satterlee originally titled this poem “The Sphere” before deciding that “The Orb” communicated a more mystical, humorous quality. (Graphic © Deutsches Patent- und Markenamt)

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  • From Tel Aviv we interview Assaf Gavron, novelist, translator, editor and captain of a recently created team of Israeli writers. The team, with victories over England and Germany, lifted its first trophy, taking Gavron to the familiar day-after feeling of emptiness that resembles completion of a novel. (Dec 19) Go to post »
  • As part of a broader cultural exchange, Israel hosts an international Writers' League tournament, including England and Germany, from Dec 14–16. A side of Israeli authors reprises a May friendly against Germany in Berlin, during which novelist Assaf Gavron confirmed his intuition that Germans do not miss penalties. (Dec 12) Go to post »
  • The Global Game: Writers on Soccer translates from languages such as Slovenian, Farsi and Danish (as well as French, Spanish, Portuguese and numerous others), but, most important, it translates cultural practice from regions that regard soccer as a constituent element of everyday life. Thus, in chapter 12, the Argentine idiom ¡Tapalo con los diarios! becomes "Get him a body bag!" (Nov 25) Go to post »

About The Global Game | Writers on Soccer

The site supporting The Global Game: Writers on Soccer (University of Nebraska Press), edited by John Turnbull, Thom Satterlee, and Alon Raab. Site includes podcasts and classroom resources. Buy the book »

Lady Murasaki

“Read the book. … You will never see or experience football (soccer) the same way again” (Sport Literature Association, Dec 08). Go to testimonials »

The Global Game video anthology »


The first part of a video introduction to The Global Game: Writers on Soccer, concentrating on the section "Space." For more, go to the Global Game YouTube™ channel » (3:23)

Interviews & Features »

USA | ‘The Soccer Moms—1996,’ by David Starkey (chapter 5)
USA | ‘The Soccer Moms—1996,’ by David Starkey (chapter 5)
USA | ‘Art Works Football Club,’ by Lawrence Cann (chapter 53)
USA | ‘Art Works Football Club,’ by Lawrence Cann (chapter 53)
Iran | ‘For the Sake of My Right and Not Football,’ by Anonymous (chapter 32)
Iran | ‘For the Sake of My Right and Not Football,’ by Anonymous (chapter 32)
Argentina | ‘Boycotting the World Cup,’ by Hebe de Bonafini (chapter 39)
Argentina | ‘Boycotting the World Cup,’ by Hebe de Bonafini (chapter 39)
Spain | ‘Fallen from the Sky,’ by Javier Marías (chapter 15)
Spain | ‘Fallen from the Sky,’ by Javier Marías (chapter 15)

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Quotes on soccer »

For years I have felt challenged by the memory and reality of soccer, and I've tried to write something that was worthy of this great pagan mass able to speak such different languages and unleash such universal passion. (Eduardo Galeano, Soccer in Sun and Shadow, 2003)

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