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Ajax, the Dutch, the War: The Strange Tale of Soccer During Europe's Darkest Hour
A passionate, haunting and moving work that tells the breathtaking story of how Dutch Jews survived the unspeakable and came to play a strong role in the rise of the most exciting and revolutionary style of soccer -- "Total Football" -- the world had ever seen.
When most people think about the Netherlands, images of tulips and peaceful pot smoking residents spring to mind. Bring up soccer, and most will think of Johan Cruyff, the Dutch player thought to rival Pele in preternatural skill, and Ajax, one of the most influential soccer clubs in the world whose academy system for young athletes has been replicated around the globe.
In Ajax, The Dutch, The Soccer in Europe During the Second World War , bestselling author Simon Kuper shows how the story of soccer in Holland cannot be understood without investigating what really occurred in this country during WWII. For decades, the Dutch have enjoyed the reputation of having a "good war." The myth is even resonant in Israel where Ajax is celebrated. The fact is, the Jews suffered shocking persecution at the hands of Dutch collaborators. Holland had the second largest Nazi movement in Europe outside Germany, and in no other country except Poland was so high a percentage of Jews deported.
Kuper challenges Holland's historical amnesia and uses soccer -- particularly the experience of Ajax, a club long supported by Amsterdam's Jews -- as a window on wartime Holland and Europe. Through interviews with Resistance fighters, survivors, wartime soccer players and more, Kuper uncovers this history that has been ignored, and also finds out why the Holocaust had a profound effect on soccer in the country.
Ajax produced Cruyff but was also built by members of the Dutch resistance and Holocaust survivors. It became a surrogate family for many who survived the war and its method for producing unparalleled talent became the envy of clubs around the world.
When most people think about the Netherlands, images of tulips and peaceful pot smoking residents spring to mind. Bring up soccer, and most will think of Johan Cruyff, the Dutch player thought to rival Pele in preternatural skill, and Ajax, one of the most influential soccer clubs in the world whose academy system for young athletes has been replicated around the globe.
In Ajax, The Dutch, The Soccer in Europe During the Second World War , bestselling author Simon Kuper shows how the story of soccer in Holland cannot be understood without investigating what really occurred in this country during WWII. For decades, the Dutch have enjoyed the reputation of having a "good war." The myth is even resonant in Israel where Ajax is celebrated. The fact is, the Jews suffered shocking persecution at the hands of Dutch collaborators. Holland had the second largest Nazi movement in Europe outside Germany, and in no other country except Poland was so high a percentage of Jews deported.
Kuper challenges Holland's historical amnesia and uses soccer -- particularly the experience of Ajax, a club long supported by Amsterdam's Jews -- as a window on wartime Holland and Europe. Through interviews with Resistance fighters, survivors, wartime soccer players and more, Kuper uncovers this history that has been ignored, and also finds out why the Holocaust had a profound effect on soccer in the country.
Ajax produced Cruyff but was also built by members of the Dutch resistance and Holocaust survivors. It became a surrogate family for many who survived the war and its method for producing unparalleled talent became the envy of clubs around the world.
288 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2003
56 people are currently reading
1883 people want to read
About the author
Simon Kuper
47 books378 followersSimon Kuper is a journalist for the Financial Times in England. He was born in Uganda of South African parents and moved to the Netherlands as a child. He studied History and German at Oxford University, and attended Harvard University as a Kennedy Scholar. He has written for The Times, Observer, Guardian and Le Monde, and also writes regularly for the Spectator and Dutch newspapers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
June 22, 2020
My daughter gave me this book for Christmas 2019, although the reason for her choice went back to a visit to The Netherlands about this time last year. We have this little in-joke that if she goes abroad she brings me back a present of nominal value, and for her trip to Holland I asked for an AFC Ajax keyring. I was a small boy at the time of the all-conquering Ajax team of the early 1970s. She clearly made a mental note of my interest and subsequently bought me this book for Christmas.
As my GR Friend Hanneke pointed out in the comments below, it’s a bit of an odd choice to examine WWII through the lens of football. The author ran the risk of trivialising the subject, although I think he avoids that.
There’s an interesting prelude to the main part of the book, looking at international football in the 1930s, with a focus on the Germany v. England game held in Berlin in May 1938, a match now notorious in the UK because the England players gave the fascist salute before the match. In later years the England players who participated provided “recollections” that varied widely from contemporary accounts, and the author suggests, correctly I think, that the later memories of the England players reflected attitudes that actually developed in WW2.
The main point of the book though, is to use football to illustrate wider Dutch society. Holland is a country with a generally positive image amongst other nations. It’s traditionally seen as a peaceful, liberal and tolerant society. Insofar as anyone thinks about WW2, the Dutch are seen as a small but plucky nation who did their best to stand up to their giant neighbour. It’s fair to say that the author challenges this latter image. He argues that during WW2 Holland lost a higher percentage of its Jewish population than any other country except Poland, where different circumstances applied, and that much of this happened because of collaboration. The Nazis viewed the Dutch nation as a sort of wayward cousin, and their occupation of the country was lighter than in most others (unless of course you were Jewish). During the occupation the Nazis praised the work of the Dutch Police. The author suggests, for example, that Anne Frank and the others in the secret annex were arrested by one German soldier and three Dutch policemen, one of whom continued to work for the Amsterdam police until 1980. That was something I hadn’t known.
The last few chapters were perhaps the best part of the book. The author examines the image of Ajax as a “Jewish” team, something that has really developed since the war. He looks at the club’s rivalry with Feyenoord, a team from Rotterdam, whose fans regularly sing charming little ditties like “Hamas, Hamas, Jews to the gas!” Those involved in running Feyenoord argue that this is motivated more by a desire to upset the Ajax fans than by deep-rooted anti-Semitism, but the author moves on to a rather depressing conclusion, portraying a growing divide in The Netherlands between a middle class, pro-immigrant segment of the population and a working class, anti-immigrant segment. The divide is exemplified by the rivalry between well-off Amsterdam and the down-at-heel port city of Rotterdam, and by Ajax and Feyenoord. Ajax, naturally, are the more successful of the two clubs.
The book was a very easy read, and I found it decent enough without being especially revelatory. If Holland does have the kind of divide described above, it’s not alone. I would say that the UK has a very similar scenario.
As my GR Friend Hanneke pointed out in the comments below, it’s a bit of an odd choice to examine WWII through the lens of football. The author ran the risk of trivialising the subject, although I think he avoids that.
There’s an interesting prelude to the main part of the book, looking at international football in the 1930s, with a focus on the Germany v. England game held in Berlin in May 1938, a match now notorious in the UK because the England players gave the fascist salute before the match. In later years the England players who participated provided “recollections” that varied widely from contemporary accounts, and the author suggests, correctly I think, that the later memories of the England players reflected attitudes that actually developed in WW2.
The main point of the book though, is to use football to illustrate wider Dutch society. Holland is a country with a generally positive image amongst other nations. It’s traditionally seen as a peaceful, liberal and tolerant society. Insofar as anyone thinks about WW2, the Dutch are seen as a small but plucky nation who did their best to stand up to their giant neighbour. It’s fair to say that the author challenges this latter image. He argues that during WW2 Holland lost a higher percentage of its Jewish population than any other country except Poland, where different circumstances applied, and that much of this happened because of collaboration. The Nazis viewed the Dutch nation as a sort of wayward cousin, and their occupation of the country was lighter than in most others (unless of course you were Jewish). During the occupation the Nazis praised the work of the Dutch Police. The author suggests, for example, that Anne Frank and the others in the secret annex were arrested by one German soldier and three Dutch policemen, one of whom continued to work for the Amsterdam police until 1980. That was something I hadn’t known.
The last few chapters were perhaps the best part of the book. The author examines the image of Ajax as a “Jewish” team, something that has really developed since the war. He looks at the club’s rivalry with Feyenoord, a team from Rotterdam, whose fans regularly sing charming little ditties like “Hamas, Hamas, Jews to the gas!” Those involved in running Feyenoord argue that this is motivated more by a desire to upset the Ajax fans than by deep-rooted anti-Semitism, but the author moves on to a rather depressing conclusion, portraying a growing divide in The Netherlands between a middle class, pro-immigrant segment of the population and a working class, anti-immigrant segment. The divide is exemplified by the rivalry between well-off Amsterdam and the down-at-heel port city of Rotterdam, and by Ajax and Feyenoord. Ajax, naturally, are the more successful of the two clubs.
The book was a very easy read, and I found it decent enough without being especially revelatory. If Holland does have the kind of divide described above, it’s not alone. I would say that the UK has a very similar scenario.
December 14, 2012
The topic was immensely interesting to me and Kuper has more knowledge about the role of soccer in the historical socio-political landscape than pretty much anyone. Each of the segments included thoroughly researched background, and most of the individual stories evoked an emotional response. But the overall structure was too loose. I understand Kuper's decision to provide context via contrast with other countries, but too many points were repeated in separate chapters and the pinballing around Europe and Israel took focus away from Ajax and the Netherlands.
I liked this book -- inasmuch as one can "like" reading a book that includes descriptions of genocide, violence, hatred, cowardice and life-long emotional distress -- for what it did teach me about the place of soccer in Dutch history. I would have loved the book if it had a more refined narrative thread that made the journey from "Ajax is a 'Jewish' club" to "Ajax's complicated history with Jews, Dutch gentiles, and the people of other Dutch and global cities engages with a broader discussion of the still-evolving self-image of the Dutch people regarding the Holocaust and current social issues" more coherent.
I liked this book -- inasmuch as one can "like" reading a book that includes descriptions of genocide, violence, hatred, cowardice and life-long emotional distress -- for what it did teach me about the place of soccer in Dutch history. I would have loved the book if it had a more refined narrative thread that made the journey from "Ajax is a 'Jewish' club" to "Ajax's complicated history with Jews, Dutch gentiles, and the people of other Dutch and global cities engages with a broader discussion of the still-evolving self-image of the Dutch people regarding the Holocaust and current social issues" more coherent.
January 2, 2013
'Ajax, the Dutch, the War: Football in Europe During the Second World War' is surely one of the most iconoclastic books on football, along with the illusion of Dutch resistance to the German occupation of WWII.
Simon Kuper has written a quite compelling account, that focuses on Amsterdam's Ajax club, but also provides anecdotes of the actions of other football clubs in Holland both during and after the war.
Mixed in with all this is the fate of the Jewish population of the Netherlands, particularly in Amsterdam and Rotterdam. The popular conception that the goodness of the state and people of Holland protected Jews, which is epitomised today by 'The Dockworker' statue in Amsterdam, that honours the workers who protested against the first German raids on the Jewish quarter by staging a general strike in February 1941, is exposed as a facade. Kuper points out that "the rigour of the Dutch police, and of the Dutch state generally, was matched in western Europe not even by Vichy France." I found this authors comparison with the actions taken by the Danish state and people in protecting it's Jewish population most impressive.
'Ajax, the Dutch, the War' is blighted not from any failing of the writer, but due to the reticence, (this book was published in 2003) of the sources. Also included, are accounts of the 'goings on' in the beautiful game through most of Europe during the hostilities.
Quite a controversial book, that kicks more than a few facades into touch.
Simon Kuper has written a quite compelling account, that focuses on Amsterdam's Ajax club, but also provides anecdotes of the actions of other football clubs in Holland both during and after the war.
Mixed in with all this is the fate of the Jewish population of the Netherlands, particularly in Amsterdam and Rotterdam. The popular conception that the goodness of the state and people of Holland protected Jews, which is epitomised today by 'The Dockworker' statue in Amsterdam, that honours the workers who protested against the first German raids on the Jewish quarter by staging a general strike in February 1941, is exposed as a facade. Kuper points out that "the rigour of the Dutch police, and of the Dutch state generally, was matched in western Europe not even by Vichy France." I found this authors comparison with the actions taken by the Danish state and people in protecting it's Jewish population most impressive.
'Ajax, the Dutch, the War' is blighted not from any failing of the writer, but due to the reticence, (this book was published in 2003) of the sources. Also included, are accounts of the 'goings on' in the beautiful game through most of Europe during the hostilities.
Quite a controversial book, that kicks more than a few facades into touch.
June 6, 2013
I should note that I have rooted for Amsterdam’s team as well as the Dutch National team since I saw Ajax win the Champions League Final when I was in Rotterdam. I learned that this book existed and had to have it. I read it with some trepidation because I didn’t want to hate the National Team I grew to love.
Kupar’s book is a look at football (the real football, not that thing we Americans have) and how it was affected by World War II. The book covers pre, during, and post World War II years with the emphasis on Ajax and Dutch football. There is, however, a look at British teams and a French player as well as a mention of occupied Norway and sports. The reason why Norway and France are mentioned is to show how other nations and their sport players responded to Occupation. I wish there had more of this comparison because only two other examples don’t quite seem enough.
The book is engrossing and travels to how post War Netherlands is seen in Israel, and while Ajax is somewhat popular there. This chapter also gives raise to the story of a man paying a prostitute to wear a Tel Aviv club’s scarf while he beats her. I’m not saying Kupar endorses such behavior and he makes it clear that it is a story he heard, and not someone he knows. However, since the story is told before Kupar relates the rather insulting anti-Ajax songs that some Dutch fans sing, it seems rather like he isn’t aware of how the story looks. If he tied into football fan hate, it would have been better, but to have it just there is strange.
Still, enjoyable and I will read other books by Kupar.
Kupar’s book is a look at football (the real football, not that thing we Americans have) and how it was affected by World War II. The book covers pre, during, and post World War II years with the emphasis on Ajax and Dutch football. There is, however, a look at British teams and a French player as well as a mention of occupied Norway and sports. The reason why Norway and France are mentioned is to show how other nations and their sport players responded to Occupation. I wish there had more of this comparison because only two other examples don’t quite seem enough.
The book is engrossing and travels to how post War Netherlands is seen in Israel, and while Ajax is somewhat popular there. This chapter also gives raise to the story of a man paying a prostitute to wear a Tel Aviv club’s scarf while he beats her. I’m not saying Kupar endorses such behavior and he makes it clear that it is a story he heard, and not someone he knows. However, since the story is told before Kupar relates the rather insulting anti-Ajax songs that some Dutch fans sing, it seems rather like he isn’t aware of how the story looks. If he tied into football fan hate, it would have been better, but to have it just there is strange.
Still, enjoyable and I will read other books by Kupar.
March 1, 2017
Interesting idea but a bit repetitive in the end. Needed a good edit.
The stuff about the fierce rivalry between the football clubs of liberal Amsterdam and conservative Rotterdam was fascinating, as were the revelations about the seemingly accepted and commonplace racism of Feyenoord fans, and the rather strange adoption of Jewishness as a badge of identity by Ajax fans. Insightful about the rise of the right and the faded image of Dutch liberalism, but weaker when trying to describe what actually happened to Jewish members at the clubs, particularly at Ajax, where his investigative journalism seemed to just hit a road block.
The stuff about the fierce rivalry between the football clubs of liberal Amsterdam and conservative Rotterdam was fascinating, as were the revelations about the seemingly accepted and commonplace racism of Feyenoord fans, and the rather strange adoption of Jewishness as a badge of identity by Ajax fans. Insightful about the rise of the right and the faded image of Dutch liberalism, but weaker when trying to describe what actually happened to Jewish members at the clubs, particularly at Ajax, where his investigative journalism seemed to just hit a road block.
October 12, 2023
Interesting book looking at Ajax and Dutch football during the war years and some Dutch history of the occupation
September 11, 2019
Interesting read. The subtitle used the word “strange” to describe the story, and I thought it didn’t seem accurate. Best thing about this book is it led me down a rabbit-hole researching more about the Dutch during WW2. 🇳🇱
August 4, 2018
The World Cup was on this past summer and anytime I see it, I'm inclined to read more books about soccer. I'm a big sports fan but my interest in soccer really only begun about 12 years ago when, bored out of my mind for the summer of 2006, I watched the World Cup fastidiously. Soccer is now perhaps my fourth favorite sport after baseball, football, and basketball and I'm wearing a New York City FC shirt in anticipation of the game tonight.
I'm also a history junkie, particularly World War II. My senior seminar in grad school was on The Church and the Holocaust. Educating ourselves in such history, exhausting though it may be, helps to provide a rosetta stone for the times we live in.
So I was eager to read this highly recommended book. However, I spent most of this summer doing several library book bingos and didn't have the chance or excuse to shoehorn this one in until I finished them. I've read snippets of this book at my local Barnes and Nobel in anticipation and was quite excited when I finally got the chance to sit down and knock it out.
Simon Kuper is a gifted writer and a great historian. He gets the most out of his interview subjects. Fortunately for us, this book was originally published in the Netherlands in 2001 so there were still people to be interviewed. The focus of it was on the conduct of the Netherlands towards its residential Jewish population during World War II and how soccer intertwined with the attitudes.
While I was expecting a simple start-to-finish narrative, Kuper bounces around from subject-to-subject, at times covering Jewish neighborhoods, soccer clubs, contemporary Dutch history and politics, soldiers in the war effort and other assorted areas. I learned a lot about the Netherlands as a nation, how and why the people act the way they do and what compelled their passive behavior during the war.
Kuper is out to bust myths and perhaps the biggest one is that the Dutch were friendly and protective to Jews. While there were some who sacrificed (he uses the dialectical phrase goed to describe them), most people went along to get along with the deportations of Holland's Jews. They then perpetuated a myth for decades that Holland was good to its Jewish population. Kuper details the origins of and the problems with said myth. He doesn't gratuitously dump on the Dutch, rather he looks honestly at their claims and debunks them.
It's a good book to read if you're interested in history. You don't need to like soccer to appreciate it but if you're a soccer fan, you'll enjoy the soccer material in it.
I'm also a history junkie, particularly World War II. My senior seminar in grad school was on The Church and the Holocaust. Educating ourselves in such history, exhausting though it may be, helps to provide a rosetta stone for the times we live in.
So I was eager to read this highly recommended book. However, I spent most of this summer doing several library book bingos and didn't have the chance or excuse to shoehorn this one in until I finished them. I've read snippets of this book at my local Barnes and Nobel in anticipation and was quite excited when I finally got the chance to sit down and knock it out.
Simon Kuper is a gifted writer and a great historian. He gets the most out of his interview subjects. Fortunately for us, this book was originally published in the Netherlands in 2001 so there were still people to be interviewed. The focus of it was on the conduct of the Netherlands towards its residential Jewish population during World War II and how soccer intertwined with the attitudes.
While I was expecting a simple start-to-finish narrative, Kuper bounces around from subject-to-subject, at times covering Jewish neighborhoods, soccer clubs, contemporary Dutch history and politics, soldiers in the war effort and other assorted areas. I learned a lot about the Netherlands as a nation, how and why the people act the way they do and what compelled their passive behavior during the war.
Kuper is out to bust myths and perhaps the biggest one is that the Dutch were friendly and protective to Jews. While there were some who sacrificed (he uses the dialectical phrase goed to describe them), most people went along to get along with the deportations of Holland's Jews. They then perpetuated a myth for decades that Holland was good to its Jewish population. Kuper details the origins of and the problems with said myth. He doesn't gratuitously dump on the Dutch, rather he looks honestly at their claims and debunks them.
It's a good book to read if you're interested in history. You don't need to like soccer to appreciate it but if you're a soccer fan, you'll enjoy the soccer material in it.
March 3, 2018
Simon Kuperin "Ajax, the Dutch, the War: Football in Europe During the Second World War" valikoitui lomalukemistoksi taannoisella Amsterdamin-matkalla, jolloin tuli vierailtua myös Ajax - ADO Den Haag -ottelussa.
Kuperin kirjassa käsitellään etupäässä hollantilaista jalkapalloa toisen maailmansodan aikana, tosin pieniä futisaiheisia ketunlenkkejä tehdään myös Ranskaan, Englantiin ja Saksaan. Kyseessä ei ole siis mikään kaikenkattava esitys eurooppalaisesta jalkapallosta toisen maailmansodan vuosina, vaikka alaotsikko niin vihjaisikin. Keskiöön nousee Amsterdamin suurseura Ajax, johon perinteisesti on liitetty juutalaisleima, vähän samaan tapaan kuin omaan suosikkiseuraani Tottenhamiinkin. Seura on kuitenkin pyrkinyt sitkeästi pitäytymään erossa tästä yhteydestä, eikä se ole näyttävästi muistellut edes keskitysleireillä kuolleita jäseniään. Miksikö? Siitä Kuper pyrkii ottamaan selvää.
Kuper pyrkii myös kumoamaan maailmalla sitkeästi elävän myytin, että hollantilaiset olisivat olleet jotenkin erityisen hyviä natsimiehityksen vuosina 1940-1945, ja keskittyneet tarmokkaasti niin pelastamaan juutalaisia kuin vastustamaan saksalaisia. Ei se ihan niin mennyt, toteaa kirjailija. "Grey and coward" -sanapari toistuu useampaan otteeseen, ja toteaa, että norjalaiset, tanskalaiset ja yllätyksekseni myös bulgarialaiset laittoivat juutalaiskysymyksessä hieman tiukemmin kampoihin asiassa kuin vaikkapa hollantilaiset.
Ei tämä hullumpi kirja ollut, mutta jos toisen maailmansodan aikainen jalkapallo kiinnostaa, kannattaa ehkä mieluummin tarttua Andy Douganin teokseen Kiovan Dynamon kunnia.
Kuperin kirjassa käsitellään etupäässä hollantilaista jalkapalloa toisen maailmansodan aikana, tosin pieniä futisaiheisia ketunlenkkejä tehdään myös Ranskaan, Englantiin ja Saksaan. Kyseessä ei ole siis mikään kaikenkattava esitys eurooppalaisesta jalkapallosta toisen maailmansodan vuosina, vaikka alaotsikko niin vihjaisikin. Keskiöön nousee Amsterdamin suurseura Ajax, johon perinteisesti on liitetty juutalaisleima, vähän samaan tapaan kuin omaan suosikkiseuraani Tottenhamiinkin. Seura on kuitenkin pyrkinyt sitkeästi pitäytymään erossa tästä yhteydestä, eikä se ole näyttävästi muistellut edes keskitysleireillä kuolleita jäseniään. Miksikö? Siitä Kuper pyrkii ottamaan selvää.
Kuper pyrkii myös kumoamaan maailmalla sitkeästi elävän myytin, että hollantilaiset olisivat olleet jotenkin erityisen hyviä natsimiehityksen vuosina 1940-1945, ja keskittyneet tarmokkaasti niin pelastamaan juutalaisia kuin vastustamaan saksalaisia. Ei se ihan niin mennyt, toteaa kirjailija. "Grey and coward" -sanapari toistuu useampaan otteeseen, ja toteaa, että norjalaiset, tanskalaiset ja yllätyksekseni myös bulgarialaiset laittoivat juutalaiskysymyksessä hieman tiukemmin kampoihin asiassa kuin vaikkapa hollantilaiset.
Ei tämä hullumpi kirja ollut, mutta jos toisen maailmansodan aikainen jalkapallo kiinnostaa, kannattaa ehkä mieluummin tarttua Andy Douganin teokseen Kiovan Dynamon kunnia.
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May 17, 2021Feels inappropriate to give this a star rating. My godfather asked me to read this and tell him if there’s anything in there that will put him off his great loves of Ajax and the Netherlands. And I think there are but there aren’t. There’s not an institution in Europe that existed during World War Two that wasn’t touched by fascism in some way. This book made me very, very sad. I would like my godfather to read it, and to take what I took from it which is: we cannot walk into fascism again. Football is a microcosm of society. The only good fascist is a dead one.
May 30, 2020
There’s plenty of this that’s very interesting but it’s also incredibly bleak, Holland does not come out of this looking good. It’s also very loosely a football book, it’s more of a social history where people involved with football clubs are interviewed.
July 30, 2021
disappointing for something by Kuper. Strange that in a book about WWII there is so little on the leftist resistance and on Left wing Jews. Maybe Kuper has always been a blairite-centrist, but we didn't realise for a long time
August 15, 2021
It's a fascinating read. Fans might want to take note that, despite the title and the cover design, the book's not very specifically about Ajax, although there's plenty here on the club. Kuper uses Dutch football as a lens to look at the nation's behavior during WWII and the post-war cultural fallout. He exposes the myth of Dutch resistance (though he's explicit that he's hardly the first to do so - it's apparently not groundbreaking work), but he works to paint a complex picture of the historical and cultural forces at work without in any way justifying acquiescence.
The book's an enjoyable(?) read (despite the demands of reading about the Holocaust) in the sense that Kuper writes well and tells compelling stories, whether on the inner workings of a club or on the major events surrounding the national team. The intersection of sports, culture, and history is a compelling spot to me, and Kuper does a good job with it.
All that said, I know so little about Dutch history and its current political climate to weigh in on his arguments, but I feel like I'm learning quite a bit here.
The book's an enjoyable(?) read (despite the demands of reading about the Holocaust) in the sense that Kuper writes well and tells compelling stories, whether on the inner workings of a club or on the major events surrounding the national team. The intersection of sports, culture, and history is a compelling spot to me, and Kuper does a good job with it.
All that said, I know so little about Dutch history and its current political climate to weigh in on his arguments, but I feel like I'm learning quite a bit here.
June 4, 2022
Op aanraden van een vriendin was ik begonnen aan Ajax, the Dutch, the war (2003) van de Engelsman Simon Kuper, die lang in Nederland woonde. Het leek me een aardig boek, juist omdat ik veel van geschiedenis houd, nooit naar voetbal kijk en benieuwd was wat ik van dit verhaal kon opsteken. Helaas was ik het na honderd pagina's beu: Kuper overlaadt de lezer met informatie die lang niet altijd over het onderwerp gaat en springt van de hak op de tak, waardoor ik me voortdurend afvroeg waar hij eigenlijk heen wilde met dit boek.
Het is duidelijk dat Kuper zich grondig heeft voorbereid. In de hoofdstukjes waarin hij zich richt op de geschiedenis van het voetbal in aanloop naar de Tweede Wereldoorlog, is hij op zijn best, bv. wanneer hij schrijft over de kijk van Nazi-Duitsland op de sport.
Kuper is bovendien eerder journalist dan historicus; dat wreekt zich in dit boek. Op basis van een handvol voorbeelden doet hij clichématige aannames zonder daar verder naar om te kijken. Dat gaat al mis in het voorwoord:
Verderop lepelt hij het vermeende citaat van Heinrich Heine op dat in Nederland alles twintig (was het niet vijftig?) jaar later gebeurt, waarna hij zonder tekst en uitleg een nieuw hoofdstuk begint. Ongetwijfeld heeft Kuper geprobeerd zijn verhaal met humor te schrijven, maar het staat zijn andere ambities in de weg. Doe mij dan De stamhouder van Alexander Münninghoff, dat de bekrompen sfeer in het vooroorlogse Nederland veel overtuigender neerzet. Doordat Kuper hier en daar te kort door de bocht gaat, begon ik al zijn beweringen in twijfel te trekken. Dat leest heel onprettig.
Sowieso had ik de pech dat ik Kupers werk voortdurend vergeleek met soortgelijke boeken die ik beter vond. Waar hij zijn eigen stappen beschrijft, dacht ik aan Amsterdam van Russell Shorto, dat persoonlijker is. Waar hij verzet en collaboratie in Nederland aan de kaak stelt, dacht ik aan De geheugenlozen van Geraldine Schwarz, dat kritischer is. Waar hij getuigenissen optekent, dacht ik aan Revolusi van David van Reybrouck, dat indringender is.
Al met al had dit boek een stevige redactieslag verdiend. Het heeft de pretentie een journalistiek-historisch werk te zijn en raakt dat niveau hier en daar zeker, maar daarmee doet Kuper het niet. Ik vrees dat ik voor een gedegen geschiedenis van het voetbal aan het verkeerde adres was.
Het is duidelijk dat Kuper zich grondig heeft voorbereid. In de hoofdstukjes waarin hij zich richt op de geschiedenis van het voetbal in aanloop naar de Tweede Wereldoorlog, is hij op zijn best, bv. wanneer hij schrijft over de kijk van Nazi-Duitsland op de sport.
It took years for most people to understand that Germany was about to unleash a war. There were many reasons for their quiescence, but one of them was probably the friendly sports matches that Germany was always playing against its neighbours.Helaas verliest Kuper daarna focus door met weer een nieuwe anekdote aan te komen zonder de samenhang te verduidelijken.
Kuper is bovendien eerder journalist dan historicus; dat wreekt zich in dit boek. Op basis van een handvol voorbeelden doet hij clichématige aannames zonder daar verder naar om te kijken. Dat gaat al mis in het voorwoord:
Strictly speaking, the word ‘Holland’ only refers to the two western provinces of the Netherlands. In this book I have often used it to mean the country as a whole. I have yet to meet a Dutch person who would be offended by this.Pardon? Deze aardappel werd zo heet opgediend, dat het Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken zich in 2019 genoodzaakt zag een ambtsbericht te sturen naar andere landen om voortaan uitsluitend nog over 'Nederland' in plaats van 'Holland' te spreken. Kennelijk was het netwerk van Kuper niet heel representatief...
Verderop lepelt hij het vermeende citaat van Heinrich Heine op dat in Nederland alles twintig (was het niet vijftig?) jaar later gebeurt, waarna hij zonder tekst en uitleg een nieuw hoofdstuk begint. Ongetwijfeld heeft Kuper geprobeerd zijn verhaal met humor te schrijven, maar het staat zijn andere ambities in de weg. Doe mij dan De stamhouder van Alexander Münninghoff, dat de bekrompen sfeer in het vooroorlogse Nederland veel overtuigender neerzet. Doordat Kuper hier en daar te kort door de bocht gaat, begon ik al zijn beweringen in twijfel te trekken. Dat leest heel onprettig.
Sowieso had ik de pech dat ik Kupers werk voortdurend vergeleek met soortgelijke boeken die ik beter vond. Waar hij zijn eigen stappen beschrijft, dacht ik aan Amsterdam van Russell Shorto, dat persoonlijker is. Waar hij verzet en collaboratie in Nederland aan de kaak stelt, dacht ik aan De geheugenlozen van Geraldine Schwarz, dat kritischer is. Waar hij getuigenissen optekent, dacht ik aan Revolusi van David van Reybrouck, dat indringender is.
Al met al had dit boek een stevige redactieslag verdiend. Het heeft de pretentie een journalistiek-historisch werk te zijn en raakt dat niveau hier en daar zeker, maar daarmee doet Kuper het niet. Ik vrees dat ik voor een gedegen geschiedenis van het voetbal aan het verkeerde adres was.
March 3, 2013
As somebody obsessed with soccer and WWII, I thought this book would be interesting to me. Unfortunately, I found it hard to read and boring. Essentially, Simon Kuper provides a disjointed look into the ways the Dutch have glossed over their mistreatment of the Jews in WWII and how they come to understand their role in the Holocaust in the years since.
June 3, 2020
Bardzo interesująca książka. Jest to reportaż napisany przez brytyjskiego dziennikarza który część swojego dzieciństwa spędził w Holandii. Następnie po kilkunastu latach postanowił powrócić do tego kraju na kilka miesięcy aby napisać ów książkę.
Książka porusza dość sporo tematów. Tematem przewijającym się przez całość do piłka nożna oraz Druga Wojna Światowa. Autor prześwietla te tematy z kilku perspektyw. Co prawda głównie koncentruje się na Holandii, na holenderskiej piłce nożnej, ale nie brak jest wątków piłkarsko-wojennych dotyczących innych krajów europejskich.
Wspomnę tu iż pojawia się też bardzo ciekawy wątek polski w tej książce. Jestem ciekaw ilu miłośników piłki nożnej kojarzy postać Ernesta Wilimowskiego. "Willi" to według niektórych znawców futbolu najwybitniejszy polski piłkarz, przebija osiągnięciami oraz talentem przebijających wszystkie tzw. "Orły Górskiego" no i pewnie samego Lewego. Według znawców futbolu "Willi" to piłkarz o takim samym światowym kalibru jak Messi czy Ronaldo. 'Willi" przed Drugą Wojną Światową grał w polskiej reprezentacji. Po wybuchu Drugiej Wojny Światowej, zajęcia polskich ziem przez Trzecią Rzeszę dał się zwerbować do piłkarskiej reprezentacji Trzeciej Rzeszy dla której grał bodajże aż do 1943 roku. I to właśnie kolejny ciekawy wątek poruszony przez książkę. Piłka nożna miała się dobrze, funkcjonowała podczas trwania wojny. Sport, piłka nożna był bardzo ważne propagandowo dla Trzeciej Rzeszy ale nie tylko. Mimo wojny odbywały się mecze. Grały dużyny klubowe. Dochodziło do rozgrywek międzynarodowych. "Willi" to jeden z kilku prominentnych nabytków drużyny Trzeciej Rzeszy. Do jej szeregów po Anschlussu Austrii dołączyło killku Austryjaków. Co ciekawe byli też piłkarze którzy nie dali się zwerbować do tej drużyny, chociażbt gwiazda francuskiego futbolu pochodząca z Alzacji. W świetle właśnie tej odmowy autor w kiepskim świetle stawia naszego "Williego".
Jednak powróćmy do kwestii Holandii. Autor dość krytycznie pisze o Holendrach. Ten naród zaskarbił sobię wielką sympatię wśród innych narodów na świecie. Anna Frank, Johann Cruijf, Marco van Basten, Ruid Gullit stworzyli pozytywny wizerunek Holandii. Nawet wśród przeciętnych współczesnych mieszkańców Izraela panuje powszechna sympatia dla Holendrów. Ta sympatia na przykład przebija sympatię Izraelczyków względem Duńczyków, Norwegów czy też Bułgarów. A to właśnie w tych trzech krajach podczas Drugiej Wojny Światowej mimo okupacji hitlerowskiej dochodziło do całonarodowego wysiłku ratowania Żydów przed zagładą. Niestety Holendrzy dość skrupulatnie wywiązywali się ze swoich powierzonych im zadań przez hitlerowskiego okupanta i w Holandii, o czym mało ludzi wie, był największy odsetek zgładzonych Żydów wśród wszystkich krajów europejskich. Do dziś jednak nawet w samej Holandii jest to temat tabu, chociaż autor zauważa w ostatnich latach poprawę wśród Holendrów jeśli chodzi o rozliczenie się z ich własną historią.
Co ciekawe autor dokonuje skrupulatnego śledztwa dziennikarskiego. Książka napisana jest mniej więcej w roku 2000. Wtedy jeszcze można było dotrzeć do świadków historii, do ludzi którzy przeżyli holocaust. Właśnie takich ludzi odnajduje autor. Głównie byli to piłkarze żydowskiego pochodzenia grający przed Drugą Wojną Światową w holenderskich klubach, w tym również w Ajaxie.
Autor nie tylko dociera do świadków historii, ale również analizuje kroniki holenderskich klubów w którzych można doszukać się sporo dowodów na dyskryminację Holendrów żydowskiego pochodzenia. W kronikach klubów sportowych możemy między innymi znaleźć dokumentację tego jak wykluczano z klubów żydowskich członków.
Dlaczego Ajax z Amsterdamu zasłużył sobie na to aby znaleźć się w tytule? Dziś w środowisku kibiców holenderskich fani, piłkarze tego klubu potocznie nazywa się "Żydami". Kibice innych zespołów ligii holenderskiej często na meczach śpiewają antysemickie piosenki o Ajaxie. Fakt iż Ajax kojarzony jest w ten sposób w środowisku kibiców holenderskich świadczy o upowszechniającej się ksenofobii i antysemityzmie w Holandii. Według autora to relatywnie nowy fenomen, który zaczął się pojawiać i rozpowszechniać w latach 90tych.
Bardzo ciekawa książka. Sporo się nauczyłem, dowiedziałem poprzez tą lekturę.
Książka porusza dość sporo tematów. Tematem przewijającym się przez całość do piłka nożna oraz Druga Wojna Światowa. Autor prześwietla te tematy z kilku perspektyw. Co prawda głównie koncentruje się na Holandii, na holenderskiej piłce nożnej, ale nie brak jest wątków piłkarsko-wojennych dotyczących innych krajów europejskich.
Wspomnę tu iż pojawia się też bardzo ciekawy wątek polski w tej książce. Jestem ciekaw ilu miłośników piłki nożnej kojarzy postać Ernesta Wilimowskiego. "Willi" to według niektórych znawców futbolu najwybitniejszy polski piłkarz, przebija osiągnięciami oraz talentem przebijających wszystkie tzw. "Orły Górskiego" no i pewnie samego Lewego. Według znawców futbolu "Willi" to piłkarz o takim samym światowym kalibru jak Messi czy Ronaldo. 'Willi" przed Drugą Wojną Światową grał w polskiej reprezentacji. Po wybuchu Drugiej Wojny Światowej, zajęcia polskich ziem przez Trzecią Rzeszę dał się zwerbować do piłkarskiej reprezentacji Trzeciej Rzeszy dla której grał bodajże aż do 1943 roku. I to właśnie kolejny ciekawy wątek poruszony przez książkę. Piłka nożna miała się dobrze, funkcjonowała podczas trwania wojny. Sport, piłka nożna był bardzo ważne propagandowo dla Trzeciej Rzeszy ale nie tylko. Mimo wojny odbywały się mecze. Grały dużyny klubowe. Dochodziło do rozgrywek międzynarodowych. "Willi" to jeden z kilku prominentnych nabytków drużyny Trzeciej Rzeszy. Do jej szeregów po Anschlussu Austrii dołączyło killku Austryjaków. Co ciekawe byli też piłkarze którzy nie dali się zwerbować do tej drużyny, chociażbt gwiazda francuskiego futbolu pochodząca z Alzacji. W świetle właśnie tej odmowy autor w kiepskim świetle stawia naszego "Williego".
Jednak powróćmy do kwestii Holandii. Autor dość krytycznie pisze o Holendrach. Ten naród zaskarbił sobię wielką sympatię wśród innych narodów na świecie. Anna Frank, Johann Cruijf, Marco van Basten, Ruid Gullit stworzyli pozytywny wizerunek Holandii. Nawet wśród przeciętnych współczesnych mieszkańców Izraela panuje powszechna sympatia dla Holendrów. Ta sympatia na przykład przebija sympatię Izraelczyków względem Duńczyków, Norwegów czy też Bułgarów. A to właśnie w tych trzech krajach podczas Drugiej Wojny Światowej mimo okupacji hitlerowskiej dochodziło do całonarodowego wysiłku ratowania Żydów przed zagładą. Niestety Holendrzy dość skrupulatnie wywiązywali się ze swoich powierzonych im zadań przez hitlerowskiego okupanta i w Holandii, o czym mało ludzi wie, był największy odsetek zgładzonych Żydów wśród wszystkich krajów europejskich. Do dziś jednak nawet w samej Holandii jest to temat tabu, chociaż autor zauważa w ostatnich latach poprawę wśród Holendrów jeśli chodzi o rozliczenie się z ich własną historią.
Co ciekawe autor dokonuje skrupulatnego śledztwa dziennikarskiego. Książka napisana jest mniej więcej w roku 2000. Wtedy jeszcze można było dotrzeć do świadków historii, do ludzi którzy przeżyli holocaust. Właśnie takich ludzi odnajduje autor. Głównie byli to piłkarze żydowskiego pochodzenia grający przed Drugą Wojną Światową w holenderskich klubach, w tym również w Ajaxie.
Autor nie tylko dociera do świadków historii, ale również analizuje kroniki holenderskich klubów w którzych można doszukać się sporo dowodów na dyskryminację Holendrów żydowskiego pochodzenia. W kronikach klubów sportowych możemy między innymi znaleźć dokumentację tego jak wykluczano z klubów żydowskich członków.
Dlaczego Ajax z Amsterdamu zasłużył sobie na to aby znaleźć się w tytule? Dziś w środowisku kibiców holenderskich fani, piłkarze tego klubu potocznie nazywa się "Żydami". Kibice innych zespołów ligii holenderskiej często na meczach śpiewają antysemickie piosenki o Ajaxie. Fakt iż Ajax kojarzony jest w ten sposób w środowisku kibiców holenderskich świadczy o upowszechniającej się ksenofobii i antysemityzmie w Holandii. Według autora to relatywnie nowy fenomen, który zaczął się pojawiać i rozpowszechniać w latach 90tych.
Bardzo ciekawa książka. Sporo się nauczyłem, dowiedziałem poprzez tą lekturę.
November 10, 2020
Kuper's book, on the surface, looks as if it's a book one picks up thinking that its contents will be rather conventional, perhaps follow a narrow narrative that is filled with names, dates and a few historical anecdotes, then finishes with a neat bow that leaves the reader satisfied with a straightforward account of the subject. Instead it is a discursive series of fascinating chapters that pull up and reshape myths and shibboleths of history, of society of sport. Instead of being a basic reaffirmation or restatement of old 'facts' 'Ajax, the Dutch, the War' is a wide ranging book that can be considered a major revelation for those unfamiliar with the targeted history (and probably will surprise those who think they know more).
Perhaps the most successful aspect of this book is that Kuper has used the study of Dutch football's history as it was shaped and influenced by World War II to speak about wider issues pertaining to anti-semitism, national myths and changing attitudes to race. Whilst the nominal topic is pivoted around the Ajax football club and its relationship with members of the Dutch Jewish community, both on and off the field, Kuper uses this construct as a launching pad for a much wider analysis of a deeper historical discussion.
That the author takes his history into what may be considered the darker recesses of Dutch history and society, such as the level of collaboration with the Nazis during the Second World War, or the emergence of racist elements in the Netherlands since the late 1990s, is perhaps a bold step. Other soccer historians have been less than willing to tackle such thorny subjects, as Kuper himself cites. Thankfully he has the knowledge of his subject and the depth of research to support his theses. This is not a dilettante's revisionist monograph trying to prove orthodoxy wrong for the sake of it. Kuper is applying a scythe to old and new shibboleths alike, and every stroke is well grounded and aimed accurately.
It has to be said that Kuper's narrative doesn't have the cohesive flow one would perhaps hope for, however that is not a major flaw. In effect his study of the subject takes him down pathways that he illuminates with flare and insight. Whether its discussing with Israelis how they perceive and support Ajax, or how English and German football responded to their different wartime experiences, or the rise of Dutch nationalism, Kuper brings it all back into focus through the lens of his historical narrative. That the Dutch, and more specifically Dutch soccer, have a complex relationship with what one may think is good or bad, as seen through their relationship with that country's Jewish community, is always front and centre.
I have not read many histories of football, and have almost no knowledge of Dutch soccer. However I would like to suggest this is a seminal book on the subjects it tackles, and deserves a wider audience than football devotees such as myself. With its highly readable prose and impressive historical arguments 'Ajax, the Dutch, the War: Football in Europe During the Second World War' is an excellent tome.
Perhaps the most successful aspect of this book is that Kuper has used the study of Dutch football's history as it was shaped and influenced by World War II to speak about wider issues pertaining to anti-semitism, national myths and changing attitudes to race. Whilst the nominal topic is pivoted around the Ajax football club and its relationship with members of the Dutch Jewish community, both on and off the field, Kuper uses this construct as a launching pad for a much wider analysis of a deeper historical discussion.
That the author takes his history into what may be considered the darker recesses of Dutch history and society, such as the level of collaboration with the Nazis during the Second World War, or the emergence of racist elements in the Netherlands since the late 1990s, is perhaps a bold step. Other soccer historians have been less than willing to tackle such thorny subjects, as Kuper himself cites. Thankfully he has the knowledge of his subject and the depth of research to support his theses. This is not a dilettante's revisionist monograph trying to prove orthodoxy wrong for the sake of it. Kuper is applying a scythe to old and new shibboleths alike, and every stroke is well grounded and aimed accurately.
It has to be said that Kuper's narrative doesn't have the cohesive flow one would perhaps hope for, however that is not a major flaw. In effect his study of the subject takes him down pathways that he illuminates with flare and insight. Whether its discussing with Israelis how they perceive and support Ajax, or how English and German football responded to their different wartime experiences, or the rise of Dutch nationalism, Kuper brings it all back into focus through the lens of his historical narrative. That the Dutch, and more specifically Dutch soccer, have a complex relationship with what one may think is good or bad, as seen through their relationship with that country's Jewish community, is always front and centre.
I have not read many histories of football, and have almost no knowledge of Dutch soccer. However I would like to suggest this is a seminal book on the subjects it tackles, and deserves a wider audience than football devotees such as myself. With its highly readable prose and impressive historical arguments 'Ajax, the Dutch, the War: Football in Europe During the Second World War' is an excellent tome.
May 6, 2022
I absolutely loved reading this book- not just because I am interested in WWII and Soccer, but because a large part of my family that survived the Holocaust was Dutch and Holland's particular war experience has always fascinated me. Kuper, a Dutchman by way of South Africa with Jewish roots, is a strong writer on WWII, World Football (That's soccer to us in the states) and Dutch/South African topics- both in books and in the Financial Times and has a simple straightforward style of writing that will involve the reader. He slices and dices Holland's War/Holocaust myths in this book, showing how a carefully built story of Resistance and hiding Jews is less than truthful and hides both a lot of cooperation/collaboration with the Nazis, and the worst percentage of Jews lost after only Poland. As both a Dutch resident and an outsider (from South Africa- now lives in the UK) Kuper weaves a compelling and revealing tale-writing for a general audience while keeping his specialist fans engaged at the same time. I read it on the way to Amsterdam and conversations on this topic with my cousin and felt I was better prepared than ever.
Kuper shows how Amsterdam's legendary postwar liberal society with its focus on tolerance was not reflected before the war when life and society was much more conservative. Cooperation/Collaboration with the Nazis came pretty easy to many- others simply never thought to question requests and orders. From a myriad of motivations- the net effect was that Jews were excluded from social life - and then rounded up and sent to camps far more easily than anywhere else in Europe save Poland, where pre-existing segregations and indigenous participation were factors. With the Danes and even the Bulgarians displaying more ingenuity and courage to sabotage Nazi death cult efforts- Kuper shows how the Dutch used a failure- Anne Frank's sad tale to somehow whitewash their sorry statistics, and then divide their WWII experience into the "good" and the "bad', when there was a lot of nuance. With a slew of anecdotes, we see how the mythmakers got it wrong a lot- and keep doing so to the present day. Through it all the storyline hums along- soccer never far from the forefront- but never in the way of the narrative.
There are a lot of adult themes in the book- and some graphic passages that make this a good read for the Junior Reader over about 12/13 years with an interest in Holland, Soccer or the Holocaust. For the Gamer/Modeler/Military Enthusiast this is a very mixed bag. Not much gaming content- unless you still play subbuteo- and you want to paint REALLY creepy uniforms on the guys to mimic Nazi PR games- so not much joy there. Modelers do get some interesting diorama ideas of life under occupation- but not too much. The Military Enthusiast gets a deeper understanding of a nation under occupation, its Holocaust, its resistance/collaboration story- and its self made story of redemption - perhaps undeserved, in the Cold War. I was fascinated and lapped up the pages - but I think it was also an enjoyment of Kuper and his style of storytelling that made the journey so engaging- he's a writer I will be looking out for.
Kuper shows how Amsterdam's legendary postwar liberal society with its focus on tolerance was not reflected before the war when life and society was much more conservative. Cooperation/Collaboration with the Nazis came pretty easy to many- others simply never thought to question requests and orders. From a myriad of motivations- the net effect was that Jews were excluded from social life - and then rounded up and sent to camps far more easily than anywhere else in Europe save Poland, where pre-existing segregations and indigenous participation were factors. With the Danes and even the Bulgarians displaying more ingenuity and courage to sabotage Nazi death cult efforts- Kuper shows how the Dutch used a failure- Anne Frank's sad tale to somehow whitewash their sorry statistics, and then divide their WWII experience into the "good" and the "bad', when there was a lot of nuance. With a slew of anecdotes, we see how the mythmakers got it wrong a lot- and keep doing so to the present day. Through it all the storyline hums along- soccer never far from the forefront- but never in the way of the narrative.
There are a lot of adult themes in the book- and some graphic passages that make this a good read for the Junior Reader over about 12/13 years with an interest in Holland, Soccer or the Holocaust. For the Gamer/Modeler/Military Enthusiast this is a very mixed bag. Not much gaming content- unless you still play subbuteo- and you want to paint REALLY creepy uniforms on the guys to mimic Nazi PR games- so not much joy there. Modelers do get some interesting diorama ideas of life under occupation- but not too much. The Military Enthusiast gets a deeper understanding of a nation under occupation, its Holocaust, its resistance/collaboration story- and its self made story of redemption - perhaps undeserved, in the Cold War. I was fascinated and lapped up the pages - but I think it was also an enjoyment of Kuper and his style of storytelling that made the journey so engaging- he's a writer I will be looking out for.
December 5, 2023
I'd had this for a while but the subject matter wasn't one that begged me to read it. As it turned out, Kuper broke up the history of wartime football with personal asides and stopped a serious book being too dry.
Like his more recent book on Barcelona, the approach was to describe his discoveries of the information as well as the facts themselves. The premise was that one could learn about a country's attitude to war through its football, as he examined the role that the Dutch played in resisting the Nazis' rounding up of Jews, and how it compared to other countries. His conclusion was that the Dutch were mostly passive, getting on with their lives and neither collaborating with nor resisting the Nazis in the main.
He is critical of the way the Dutch presented themselves after the war, as resistors, and supportive of Jews due to a national strike, which ignores that 75% of Dutch Jews were killed at the hands of the Nazis which was worse than comparable countries. Any stories of resistance tended to be giving Germans the wrong directions or beating them at football, or as Kuper put it, "war as Beano story". He looked at the minutes of a Dutch football club to piece together treatment of Jewish members and whether to adhere to German orders banning Jews from football clubs, as well as the Amsterdam Jewish Quarter and Jews (and collaborators) involved with Ajax.
He then compared the Dutch level of resistance with sport in Norway, Denmark and France, meeting players who had played and refused to play for Nazi Germany, as well as other figures related to Jews in WWII, and modern day Israelis and their view of The Netherlands. Sometimes chapters were distinct but they all tied into the main theme and I didn't have a problem with the structure. Kuper's personal input made it readable, and as a reader you feel like you are picking up a sense of society beyond the facts. My main misgiving would be the extent to which one can take his word for it - is his view on how Dutch people feel and act universally true or as biased as the unchallenged dutchwoman on the radio? The details on the Dutch Right were concise and didn't give me as good a picture of other aspects of the book.
It's odd to summarise, each chapter felt linked but could deal with entirely different themes, and it changed in tone between magazine interview and a factual setting out of the facts. Yet I took a lot from it and didn't find it difficult to read, in either the literal or physical sense, although those with a personal link might think differently. For such a serious topic the writing was still light where appropriate and dealt with most topics sensibly, but I would be intrigued to know if his views and cultural observations were shared by fellow Dutchmen.
Like his more recent book on Barcelona, the approach was to describe his discoveries of the information as well as the facts themselves. The premise was that one could learn about a country's attitude to war through its football, as he examined the role that the Dutch played in resisting the Nazis' rounding up of Jews, and how it compared to other countries. His conclusion was that the Dutch were mostly passive, getting on with their lives and neither collaborating with nor resisting the Nazis in the main.
He is critical of the way the Dutch presented themselves after the war, as resistors, and supportive of Jews due to a national strike, which ignores that 75% of Dutch Jews were killed at the hands of the Nazis which was worse than comparable countries. Any stories of resistance tended to be giving Germans the wrong directions or beating them at football, or as Kuper put it, "war as Beano story". He looked at the minutes of a Dutch football club to piece together treatment of Jewish members and whether to adhere to German orders banning Jews from football clubs, as well as the Amsterdam Jewish Quarter and Jews (and collaborators) involved with Ajax.
He then compared the Dutch level of resistance with sport in Norway, Denmark and France, meeting players who had played and refused to play for Nazi Germany, as well as other figures related to Jews in WWII, and modern day Israelis and their view of The Netherlands. Sometimes chapters were distinct but they all tied into the main theme and I didn't have a problem with the structure. Kuper's personal input made it readable, and as a reader you feel like you are picking up a sense of society beyond the facts. My main misgiving would be the extent to which one can take his word for it - is his view on how Dutch people feel and act universally true or as biased as the unchallenged dutchwoman on the radio? The details on the Dutch Right were concise and didn't give me as good a picture of other aspects of the book.
It's odd to summarise, each chapter felt linked but could deal with entirely different themes, and it changed in tone between magazine interview and a factual setting out of the facts. Yet I took a lot from it and didn't find it difficult to read, in either the literal or physical sense, although those with a personal link might think differently. For such a serious topic the writing was still light where appropriate and dealt with most topics sensibly, but I would be intrigued to know if his views and cultural observations were shared by fellow Dutchmen.
May 26, 2023
I previously read and enjoyed Kuper's book 'Football against the enemy'.
The author introduces this book with some autobiographical detail that explains some of the righteous indignation he tries to control, poorly, later on as he unwraps the myths promoted by the Dutch about their part in the war.
The son of South African Jewish parents, Kuper's family moved to Holland in 1976 when he was 7. He grew up speaking Dutch but because of his complexion and size he never felt truly local. Through the lens of Dutch football Kuper examines how the Dutch acted during the war and busts the myth that they resisted Nazi occupation strenuously.
In fact as Kuper demonstrates the Dutch were quite malleable in the hands of the occupiers and did little to stop the rounding up and deportation of Jews. In some ways they were willing accomplices.
He makes interesting observations about the role football played for all sides during the war. It was seen as a useful distraction for the masses, when all other mass gatherings were banned. Even the Nazis never tried too hard to propagandize their own home league but before the war tried to use their national team as a propaganda tool to improve the reputation of the Nazi regime and they did try to create a greater German international team, enlisting players from occupied countries and territories, most of whom tried to downplay and minimise their role after the war.
Bizarrely even amid the bombing of German cities their football league went ahead. Kuper accesses football club archives and interviews ex players who seem to have rather self-serving attitude to their part in the war. Holland had a strong Dutch Nazi movement and after Poland had the worst record in protecting its Jewish citizens, more than 75% of Dutch Jews perished. The Belgians, Norwegians and Danes resisted much better; even Italy under the fascist government of Mussolini saved 90% of its Jewish population from the Nazis.
Kuper uncovers a mass amnesia among the Dutch about their complicity in the deportations. The author wanders about Europe in this book because as he admits the Ajax records, the title is really a starting point, are scant but uncovers some dark anti-Semitism even in the current Dutch football scene among some rival fans.
An interesting read that leaves me wondering whether Dutch football has rooted out some of these undesirable elements in the last 20 years since publication of this book.
The author introduces this book with some autobiographical detail that explains some of the righteous indignation he tries to control, poorly, later on as he unwraps the myths promoted by the Dutch about their part in the war.
The son of South African Jewish parents, Kuper's family moved to Holland in 1976 when he was 7. He grew up speaking Dutch but because of his complexion and size he never felt truly local. Through the lens of Dutch football Kuper examines how the Dutch acted during the war and busts the myth that they resisted Nazi occupation strenuously.
In fact as Kuper demonstrates the Dutch were quite malleable in the hands of the occupiers and did little to stop the rounding up and deportation of Jews. In some ways they were willing accomplices.
He makes interesting observations about the role football played for all sides during the war. It was seen as a useful distraction for the masses, when all other mass gatherings were banned. Even the Nazis never tried too hard to propagandize their own home league but before the war tried to use their national team as a propaganda tool to improve the reputation of the Nazi regime and they did try to create a greater German international team, enlisting players from occupied countries and territories, most of whom tried to downplay and minimise their role after the war.
Bizarrely even amid the bombing of German cities their football league went ahead. Kuper accesses football club archives and interviews ex players who seem to have rather self-serving attitude to their part in the war. Holland had a strong Dutch Nazi movement and after Poland had the worst record in protecting its Jewish citizens, more than 75% of Dutch Jews perished. The Belgians, Norwegians and Danes resisted much better; even Italy under the fascist government of Mussolini saved 90% of its Jewish population from the Nazis.
Kuper uncovers a mass amnesia among the Dutch about their complicity in the deportations. The author wanders about Europe in this book because as he admits the Ajax records, the title is really a starting point, are scant but uncovers some dark anti-Semitism even in the current Dutch football scene among some rival fans.
An interesting read that leaves me wondering whether Dutch football has rooted out some of these undesirable elements in the last 20 years since publication of this book.
November 13, 2020
Based on the title, you would think the book would focus strictly on Ajax, the Dutch people, the Dutch Jews, and WW2. Well, you thought (partially) wrong, in my opinion. Using Ajax as a starting point, this book actually provides a bit more on the state of soccer before, during, and after the war from multiple countries and perspectives. This was something I really enjoyed as I knew very little about how the sport was play during this timespan. Connecting this story to the Dutch and the persecution of Jews during the Holocaust, when combined with more of an insider look at Dutch culture reveals a culture that mirrors the US in some respects: there is either “goed” or “fout”, with any grey area completely erased. It’s striking to see how the Dutch and others view The Netherlands as “goed” in many respects when the truth isn’t quite as delineated.
I also found the last two-three chapters and the afterwords to be extremely poignant to the world we live in, especially in the US over the past 4 yrs. The splits seen politically/socioeconomically in The Netherlands after 9/11 mirror those of the US to point that it made me shudder. The only issue is that in the US, these splits are magnified and reinforced by almost everything, but especially the news media.
I think one of the main takeaways should be that we shouldn’t try to sweep the unsightly bits of our history away to the dark recesses where no one will look, whixh is becoming popular in some political circles. As the Dutch have learned, they weren’t as “goed” as they were led to believe; the US, in my opinion, needs to realize that “patriotic” history is just an attempt to paint the country as “goed” when in reality it has extremely large areas where a mix of “goed” and “fout” exist which needs to be examined so we can learn/improve.
I also found the last two-three chapters and the afterwords to be extremely poignant to the world we live in, especially in the US over the past 4 yrs. The splits seen politically/socioeconomically in The Netherlands after 9/11 mirror those of the US to point that it made me shudder. The only issue is that in the US, these splits are magnified and reinforced by almost everything, but especially the news media.
I think one of the main takeaways should be that we shouldn’t try to sweep the unsightly bits of our history away to the dark recesses where no one will look, whixh is becoming popular in some political circles. As the Dutch have learned, they weren’t as “goed” as they were led to believe; the US, in my opinion, needs to realize that “patriotic” history is just an attempt to paint the country as “goed” when in reality it has extremely large areas where a mix of “goed” and “fout” exist which needs to be examined so we can learn/improve.
December 1, 2021
Ajax is a major soccer club in Europe located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. This book caught my eye because as a passionate soccer fan I have been following Ajax since the emergence of the great legend Johan Cruyff the player that changed everyone's perspective of soccer and made poetry every time he stepped onto the pitch either as a soccer player or as a coach. This book provided me with the rich history of this club during World War II where soccer in Amsterdam was re-born and transformed. From my common knowledge of WWII I knew it caused serious harm to several major European power houses due to the mass destruction it caused and one of the factors that also took place during the war was how it affected people and their everyday lives and one way was by soccer. The book for me really spoke to me because I value all sorts of information that deals with soccer and the book was very well put by going in depth about how their neighbors Germany, Austria, Poland, Spain and other European countries affected them and how they were under control of Germany really shaped them during those times. What I found most amusing about this book was how the soccer players still played matches even when aircrafts, tanks, military men and cars were all over the city and there were insecurities every time. That did affect them but it also made them stronger in the sense of soccer to never give up and follow your passion and all the soccer players mentioned in this book were amazing footballers who deserve respect for still playing soccer during these hard times for the entertainment of the fans and to give them something positive to think about.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 1, 2022
A stimulating and eye opening account of football in the most portent years in Dutch history. Kuper conveys moving accounts from those affected by the nazi occupation of the Netherlands during WWII with gravitas and clarity. In fact this book covers far more than just Ajax, The Dutch, The War - there are chapters dedicated to a resilient former French (football) captain and the initial inauspicious response to Nazi Germany from Europe - the England team giving nazi salutes in 1938 and welcoming the Germans with brotherly arms in the reverse fixture. Though the stories are mostly harrowing and deeply unsettling, particularly the way Jews have been treated, there are anecdotes of great spirit and moments of amusement despite the grim backdrop. We learn that football continued for the most part throughout Europe during WWII - remarkably while Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union the German Cup final took place with almost 70,000 fans in attendance for example. However we also unravel the fragile veneer of the mighty Ajax which it carries to this present day. Yet to come to grips with its significance to and from the Jewish community, the club has not officially recognised what these fans and club alumni went through. It seems more relevant than ever given the sad inevitably of conflicts fuelled by a hatred few understand. This book started as an extended article, before evolving into a stand alone publication. I would very much enjoy reading even more.
September 22, 2025
I enjoyed the book as much as I could. I mean reading anything about WW2 is gonna be depressing...
I think the title is a bit misleading, maybe getting rid of "Ajax" helps cause it wasn't just about Ajax but that was the original inspiration in writing this book. I agreed with what many others said about the structure and flow of the book. It touches a lot of different perspective ranging from the Dutch, to the French, to the Danes, to Israelis and the narrative does go a bit all over the place. I wish it was a bit tighter and had a better flow to it but I still enjoyed reading it. More specifically, a better flow with Ajax's relationship with Jews, how it was like a community for them and now its taboo to really speak on it from the looks of it.
Especially in the afterword where it touches on the fans of Feyenoord basically adopting this "conservative" attitude and making songs/chants about gas chambers was def eye opening for me personally and how racism just became a normal thing for them (hopefully times have changed but i feel like the world has gotten crazier). Also in the afterword about the rise of "right" politics and the shift of tone in politics in the Netherlands.
I think the title is a bit misleading, maybe getting rid of "Ajax" helps cause it wasn't just about Ajax but that was the original inspiration in writing this book. I agreed with what many others said about the structure and flow of the book. It touches a lot of different perspective ranging from the Dutch, to the French, to the Danes, to Israelis and the narrative does go a bit all over the place. I wish it was a bit tighter and had a better flow to it but I still enjoyed reading it. More specifically, a better flow with Ajax's relationship with Jews, how it was like a community for them and now its taboo to really speak on it from the looks of it.
Especially in the afterword where it touches on the fans of Feyenoord basically adopting this "conservative" attitude and making songs/chants about gas chambers was def eye opening for me personally and how racism just became a normal thing for them (hopefully times have changed but i feel like the world has gotten crazier). Also in the afterword about the rise of "right" politics and the shift of tone in politics in the Netherlands.
April 9, 2018
For a relatively short book, this covers a lot of ground. The title is fairly self-explanatory: the author attempts to delve into the history of the Netherlands during World War Two and the role that football played in the 1930s and 40s, as well as seeing how different clubs tried to cope with living under German occupation - and how people dealt with the aftermath.
As I said, there's a lot of ground to go over. Kuper is not afraid to challenge simplistic official stories, but he explores these areas in a manner that is both thorough (tracking down obscure club newsletters) and sensitive - understandable given that many of his interviewees found the era difficult to talk about for obvious reasons.
I also liked that this edition explained the evolution of the book itself, from a Dutch original to this English edition, with added material which allows for an exploration of the changes of attitude in modern Dutch society as the war gradually recedes from living memory.
It's an interesting read, one for the social historians as well as football fans.
As I said, there's a lot of ground to go over. Kuper is not afraid to challenge simplistic official stories, but he explores these areas in a manner that is both thorough (tracking down obscure club newsletters) and sensitive - understandable given that many of his interviewees found the era difficult to talk about for obvious reasons.
I also liked that this edition explained the evolution of the book itself, from a Dutch original to this English edition, with added material which allows for an exploration of the changes of attitude in modern Dutch society as the war gradually recedes from living memory.
It's an interesting read, one for the social historians as well as football fans.
May 28, 2025
Picked this up after the attack on Israeli fans after Maccabi Tel-Aviv vs Ajax. Fascinating approach to a topic that under any other hands would never work. I like Simon Kuper, especially his 'Heroes and Humans' podcast, but sometimes I do find his writing a little incomplete in a way, which sometimes meant that, amidst the cacophany of names and events, I did get lost a fair few times.
That said, his messages about the attitude of the Netherlands in WW2, as well as the various version of antisemitism espoused by both Ajax and Feyenoord, were still articulated well, especially in a stunning final couple of chapters. I would be intrigued to see an update to this, to reflect a) the Ajax-Maccabi match, and b) to see if, given how ubiquitous conversations about colonialism and systemic racism and cultural appropriation are now, the attitude of the Netherlands to WW2 has changed. If this book indicates anything, though, the answer would be a no.
That said, his messages about the attitude of the Netherlands in WW2, as well as the various version of antisemitism espoused by both Ajax and Feyenoord, were still articulated well, especially in a stunning final couple of chapters. I would be intrigued to see an update to this, to reflect a) the Ajax-Maccabi match, and b) to see if, given how ubiquitous conversations about colonialism and systemic racism and cultural appropriation are now, the attitude of the Netherlands to WW2 has changed. If this book indicates anything, though, the answer would be a no.
February 9, 2023
It is difficult for me to assign a rating to this book, so I'll just go for the middle and give it 3 stars. I found it quite difficult to read. Why? Maybe a combination of the writing style, the topic(s), and the names. To me, it read like a term paper, and the names, often unpronounceable, blurred as anecdotes or interviews arose. I was often lost w/acronyms (historic and soccer related). I set the book aside a couple of times to DNF and donate it; however, I then picked it back up and continued b/c I found the information, when I did wade through it, to be eye-opening. My takeaway: I especially enjoyed the author's country-by-country accounts of their stand or lack thereof vis-a-vis the Germans during the war most enlightening as well as how the game of soccer interfaced w/them.
May 22, 2023
I certainly agree with a lot of the other reviews about the book lacking structure, but in the end I think the weight and importance of the stories helps to over come that.
The collection of stories certainly leaves you with a lot to think about. What stories do we tell ourselves about our pasts so we can live with ourselves? What role does sport have to all levels of society, especially during hard times or war? How will sport deal with shifting social values and the normalization of immigration and movement? Will sport combat anti-semitism or enable it?
Definitely weighty stuff, but I'm glad Kuper wrote the book when he did. In a few years, no one who lived through the Holocaust or World War II will be left. These stories have value, and need to be told.
The collection of stories certainly leaves you with a lot to think about. What stories do we tell ourselves about our pasts so we can live with ourselves? What role does sport have to all levels of society, especially during hard times or war? How will sport deal with shifting social values and the normalization of immigration and movement? Will sport combat anti-semitism or enable it?
Definitely weighty stuff, but I'm glad Kuper wrote the book when he did. In a few years, no one who lived through the Holocaust or World War II will be left. These stories have value, and need to be told.
June 24, 2024
Velmi zajimava kniha o Holandsku. Fotbal pouziva spis jako nastroj jak ukazat sirsi souvislosti o Holandsku, vyrovnani s valkou, antisemitismem a tak. a je to hodne zajimavy cteni. Holandsko ma velmi dobrou mezinarodni povest a holandani sami si o sobe mysli, ze za valky byli ti dobri... Ale kdyz se pak podivate bliz, tak jen Polsko melo procentualne vetsi pocet obeti holocaustu nez Holandsko. Odboj byl minimalni, vetsina zeme proste zavrela oci nechala vsechno byt.
A samotny Ajax se prakticky za sve zidovske spojeni stydi a ignoruje ho, neupominal si ani obeti holocaustu z rad clenu nebo hracu, aktivne se brani povesti, ze je zidovsky klub a celkove je k te casti sve historie velmi alibisticky.
A samotny Ajax se prakticky za sve zidovske spojeni stydi a ignoruje ho, neupominal si ani obeti holocaustu z rad clenu nebo hracu, aktivne se brani povesti, ze je zidovsky klub a celkove je k te casti sve historie velmi alibisticky.
May 13, 2024
If you love history, humanity, football/soccer, or sports, this book is for you. This book details the links between the most famous Dutch club, Ajax, and how World War 2 altered their history. The war and German occupation of the Netherlands left a lasting impact on Dutch football and society. Football, like so many important things in life, became the only thing that mattered and was meaningless in the backdrop of a global conflict that touched millions. The book is well-written and meticulously researched life before and during the conflict. The stories of the bravery, sacrifice, and courage of the people mentioned in the book are inspiring and heartbreaking. It is a must-read!
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