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The Games
509 pages.packed with intrigue,excitement, sport,love every emotion known to humanity.it reveals the truth behind the glow of the olympic flame
- GenresFiction
512 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1967
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About the author
Hugh Atkinson
30 books2 followersHugh Atkinson was born in New South Wales, Australia in the town of Parkes. He was brought up in the bush, but ran away to Sydney at the age of 16 where he got a job in a publicity office. His jobs included journalist, magazine editor, scriptwriter, copywriter and documentary film producer.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
October 22, 2024
First read this as a teenager, 50-55 years ago, and was reminded of it by this summer's Olympics. Parts of it are inevitably dated but it's still a fascinating look at the political machinations that determine which bidding consortium finally manages to land the golden ticket. In this utterly convincing piece of fiction, simply read Mexico every time Santa Anna is mentioned and you'll have a clearer understanding of some of the concerns at the time over the safety of athletes in endurance events and the increasingly impossible task of shielding the Games from the political and social pressures of the day.
The political wheeling and dealing is convincing but the real highlight for me as a lover of athletics is the focus on the athletes taking part in a marathon that will be run at altitude for all the wrong reasons. The build up to the race itself is utterly compelling and even though you may need to turn off the old bullshit detector at times, this remains a little gem that's well worth a punt if you can track down a copy.
A quick aside . . . there is a film (1970) of the same title which you can rent from You Tube or buy from elsewhere, but it's quite awful. Michael Crawford of all people plays the young British hopeful and forgets every five minutes that he's not Frank Spencer. Ryan O'Neil plays the American marathon champion in his usual wisecracking Jack the Lad way. The biggest hoot of all though is French crooner Charles Aznavour, hopelessly miscast as a Czech runner who has worked his way through the military ranks on the strength of his success as an athlete (think Emil Zatopek), forced into coming out of retirement to bring honour and glory to the communist cause. He didn't even exist in the book and is clearly there for reasons other than acting ability.
The book though? Different class.
The political wheeling and dealing is convincing but the real highlight for me as a lover of athletics is the focus on the athletes taking part in a marathon that will be run at altitude for all the wrong reasons. The build up to the race itself is utterly compelling and even though you may need to turn off the old bullshit detector at times, this remains a little gem that's well worth a punt if you can track down a copy.
A quick aside . . . there is a film (1970) of the same title which you can rent from You Tube or buy from elsewhere, but it's quite awful. Michael Crawford of all people plays the young British hopeful and forgets every five minutes that he's not Frank Spencer. Ryan O'Neil plays the American marathon champion in his usual wisecracking Jack the Lad way. The biggest hoot of all though is French crooner Charles Aznavour, hopelessly miscast as a Czech runner who has worked his way through the military ranks on the strength of his success as an athlete (think Emil Zatopek), forced into coming out of retirement to bring honour and glory to the communist cause. He didn't even exist in the book and is clearly there for reasons other than acting ability.
The book though? Different class.
Displaying 1 of 1 review