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Vendor
Liepman Literary Agency
Marc Koralnik
Original language
English

GOD IS ROUND

Juan Villoro

Tackling the Giants, Villains, Triumphs, and Scandals of the World's Favorite Game

• A SOCCER BOOK UNLIKE ANY OTHER

• A THRIVING MARKET

• MEXICO'S MOST PROLIFIC, PRIZE-WINNING JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR

• THE WORLD'S LEADING SOCCER EXPERT
On a planet where FIFA has more members than the United Nations and the World Cup is watched by more than three billion people, football is more than just a game. As revered author Juan Villoro argues in this passionate and compulsively readable tribute to the world's favorite sport, football may be the most effective catalyst for panglobal unity at the time when we need it most. (Following global consensus, Villoro uses “football” rather than “soccer” in the book.)
What was the greatest goal of all time? Why do the Hungarians have a more philosophical sense of defeat than the Mexicans? Do the dead play football? In essays ranging from incisive and irreverent portraits of Maradona, Messi, Ronaldo, Pelé, Zidane, and many more giants of the game to entertaining explorations of left-footedness and the number 10, Juan Villoro dissects the pleasure and pain of football fandom. God Is Round is a book for both fanatics and neophytes who long to feel the delirium of the faithful.

Juan Villoro is Mexico's most prolific, prize-winning author, playwright, journalist, and screenwriter. His books have been translated into multiple languages. Several of his books have appeared in English, including his celebrated 2016 essay collection on soccer brought out by Restless Books, God Is Round. Villoro lives in Mexico City and is a visiting lecturer at Yale and Princeton universities.
Available products
Book

Published 2016-04-01 by Restless Books

Comments

A brilliant, kaleidoscopic exploration of soccer—and the passion, hopes, rivalries, superstitions, and global solidarity it inspires—from Juan Villoro, “Mexico's top fútbol expert” (NBC News).

“Juan Villoro's God Is Round takes an all-encompassing approach, finding a welcome overlap between writing about soccer as metaphor and writing about soccer for the sake of writing about soccer. [A] timeless set of observations about the sport.” —Michael J. Agovino, Los Angeles Review of Books

“A lyrical exploration of the global game of soccer.... For millions around the world, soccer is not just a game, but rather life itself and, as Villoro ably reveals, very much worth pursuing to the final whistle.” —Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review