A Selection of Football Poetry 1890-2017

Title: Boots: A Selection of Football Poetry 1890-2017

Editor: Mark Pirie
ISBN: 978-0-473-40157-3
Price: $30.00
Extent: 102 pages
Format: 149mmx210mm
Publisher: HeadworX

Cover image: George Best by Michael O’Leary

Boots
Boots is a collection of historical football poems by international contributors, which was first published in
New Zealand as a special football issue of the periodical broadsheet: new new zealand poetry to coincide with the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
The poems celebrate ‘the beautiful game’ with a range of emotions, critical insights and expressions/images of the much-loved international pastime.

 

The book includes a Foreword by the former New Zealand international footballer Michael Groom 1980-84, and an afterword by the London memoirist, translator and poet Anthony Rudolf.

Contributors include the well-known and renowned to first-time authors and occasional versifiers: Dannie Abse (UK), Nick Ascroft, Simon Boyce, James Brown, Albert Craig (UK), PS Cottier (Australia), John Dickson, Michael Duffett (USA), Ben Egerton, John Gallas (UK/NZ), C.W. Grace (UK/NZ), Dylan Groom, Vaughan Gunson, Jeff Hilson (UK), Tim Jones, Gary Langford (Australia/NZ), Moshé Liba (Israel/The Netherlands), David McGill, Harvey Molloy, Michael O’Leary, Bill O’Reilly, Mark Pirie, Harry Ricketts, Alan Ross (UK), Kendrick Smithyman, Grant Sullivan and André Surridge.

This new edition includes new material found by the editor in the past three years.

 Comment:

“Mark Pirie’s compilations are always interesting and worthwhile.” – John Symons, Journal of the Cricket Society, Autumn 2014

“The authors in this collection have had their hearts and souls moved by the game they love.” – Michael Groom, New Zealand All White 1980-84, from the Foreword

This title is also available internationally from Lulu in paperback and eBook (credit card and PayPal accepted) - see the new HeadworX Shop http://headworx.co.nz.

About the Editor

Mark Pirie is a Wellington poet, publisher, literary critic and archivist for PANZA.  He played football 1983-1993 as a left-sided midfielder or defender and was a free-kick and penalty taker. He has published poetry on many sports, including cricket, football, rugby, tennis, surfing and netball, and in 2010 edited/published the first anthology of New Zealand cricket poems, A Tingling Catch. Latest collection: Rock and Roll: Selected Poems in Five Sets (Bareknuckle Books, Australia, 2016).