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Italy and Italians
A Season with Verona: Travels Around Italy in Search of Illusion, National Character . . . and Goals!
Is Italy a united country, or a loose affiliation of warring states? Is Italian football a sport, or an ill-disguised protraction of ancient enmities?
Tim Parks goes on the road to follow the fortunes of Hellas Verona football club, to pay a different kind of visit to some of the world's most beautiful cities. This is a highly personal account of one man's relationship with a country, its people and its national sport. A book that combines the pleasures of travel writing with a profound analysis of one country's mad, mad way of keeping itself entertained.
Tim Parks goes on the road to follow the fortunes of Hellas Verona football club, to pay a different kind of visit to some of the world's most beautiful cities. This is a highly personal account of one man's relationship with a country, its people and its national sport. A book that combines the pleasures of travel writing with a profound analysis of one country's mad, mad way of keeping itself entertained.
464 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
102 people are currently reading
2149 people want to read
About the author
Tim Parks
123 books586 followersBorn in Manchester in 1954, Tim Parks grew up in London and studied at Cambridge and Harvard. In 1981 he moved to Italy where he has lived ever since, raising a family of three children. He has written fourteen novels including Europa (shortlisted for the Booker prize), Destiny, Cleaver, and most recently In Extremis.
During the nineties he wrote two, personal and highly popular accounts of his life in northern Italy, Italian Neighbours and An Italian Education. These were complemented in 2002 by A Season with Verona, a grand overview of Italian life as seen through the passion of football. Other non-fiction works include a history of the Medici bank in 15th century Florence, Medici Money and a memoir on health, illness and meditation, Teach Us to Sit Still. In 2013 Tim published his most recent non-fiction work on Italy, Italian Ways, on and off the rails from Milan to Palermo.
Aside from his own writing, Tim has translated works by Moravia, Calvino, Calasso, Machiavelli and Leopardi; his critical book, Translating Style is considered a classic in its field. He is presently working on a translation of Cesare Pavese's masterpiece, The Moon and the Bonfires.
A regular contributor to the New York Review of Books and the London Review of Books, his many essays are collected in Hell and Back, The Fighter, A Literary Tour of Italy, and Life and Work.
Over the last five years he has been publishing a series of blogs on writing, reading, translation and the like in the New York Review online. These have recently been collected in Where I am Reading From and Pen in Hand.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 136 reviews
June 24, 2020
Traveling for a full year around Italy in a bus, full of calcio ultras, rooting for a small, provincial team in order to write a book about it does not sound like a terrific idea. But that what Tim Parks did. And the result is quite impressive. It would have been even more impressive had I read this book no later than a couple of years after it was published, as it seemed a bit outdated at moments now, almost a full 20 years later. Still, being outdated also meant that it had been a very nice throwback, remembering names and places that have been a bit forgotten.
The first thing you have to know, is that it is not a football book. Not ENTIRELLY a football book, to make myself more clear. As the title suggests, it is also "in search of illusion and national character". And it's not bad if you're into Italy as a country and a culture as well as calcio. But if you want a pure football book, I'd recommend you a book by John Foot, called "Calcio: a history of Italian football", as it is an ultimate recollection of everything that makes Italian football unique - it is purely about football, players, coaches, tactics, referees - you name it. Tim Parks' book is much more about a nation, about people and about a culture that gives birth to ultras and national mentality as a whole. He spends some 30, maybe even 40 pages writing about Marsiglia case - a case that has almost absolutely nothing to do with football. Why did the author do it? Probably to illustrate Veronese mentality, as well as all-Italian character as well.
Being a fan of Hellas Verona, a provincial team that spent most of it's recent (50 years) history swinging between Serie A and Serie B, Tim Parks has a lot of passion for a team he supports and he shows it in this book. Also, probably due to the same aforementioned passion, you may be certain there won't be much objectivity, especially regarding the big teams. YouTube enables us to check almost every moment, every match, every episode he wrote about. And usually - not to his favor. "Nuno Gomes had been blatantly offside!", he writes. "Once more the referee robbed us in favour of the big guns!" he exclaims. And so you check that match on YouTube, aaaaand.. It's not an offside.
And, of course, Juventus. The author here is definitely not too proud to be fashionably anti-Juve. He even managed to badmouth Del Piero, also calling him "finished" in the process. Yes, the "Same" Del Piero, who never said or did anything wrong in his whole career, who had been an Italian sweetheart and who had received a standing ovation in the notorious Santiago Bernabeu. Would it have been too hard to support his team without blaming everyone and everything, especially those mysterious "them"? Sure, but I guess that would not have been an Italian way. So, all in all, probably Mr. Parks had eventually found Goals, Illusion and national character of this wonderful country.
Read it, it even might serve as a very peculiar guidebook. And it can teach you poems, too:
Vicentino maledetto,
hai mangiatto il mio micetto". LOL.
A strong 4*.
The first thing you have to know, is that it is not a football book. Not ENTIRELLY a football book, to make myself more clear. As the title suggests, it is also "in search of illusion and national character". And it's not bad if you're into Italy as a country and a culture as well as calcio. But if you want a pure football book, I'd recommend you a book by John Foot, called "Calcio: a history of Italian football", as it is an ultimate recollection of everything that makes Italian football unique - it is purely about football, players, coaches, tactics, referees - you name it. Tim Parks' book is much more about a nation, about people and about a culture that gives birth to ultras and national mentality as a whole. He spends some 30, maybe even 40 pages writing about Marsiglia case - a case that has almost absolutely nothing to do with football. Why did the author do it? Probably to illustrate Veronese mentality, as well as all-Italian character as well.
Being a fan of Hellas Verona, a provincial team that spent most of it's recent (50 years) history swinging between Serie A and Serie B, Tim Parks has a lot of passion for a team he supports and he shows it in this book. Also, probably due to the same aforementioned passion, you may be certain there won't be much objectivity, especially regarding the big teams. YouTube enables us to check almost every moment, every match, every episode he wrote about. And usually - not to his favor. "Nuno Gomes had been blatantly offside!", he writes. "Once more the referee robbed us in favour of the big guns!" he exclaims. And so you check that match on YouTube, aaaaand.. It's not an offside.
And, of course, Juventus. The author here is definitely not too proud to be fashionably anti-Juve. He even managed to badmouth Del Piero, also calling him "finished" in the process. Yes, the "Same" Del Piero, who never said or did anything wrong in his whole career, who had been an Italian sweetheart and who had received a standing ovation in the notorious Santiago Bernabeu. Would it have been too hard to support his team without blaming everyone and everything, especially those mysterious "them"? Sure, but I guess that would not have been an Italian way. So, all in all, probably Mr. Parks had eventually found Goals, Illusion and national character of this wonderful country.
Read it, it even might serve as a very peculiar guidebook. And it can teach you poems, too:
Vicentino maledetto,
hai mangiatto il mio micetto". LOL.
A strong 4*.
May 1, 2013
One of the best books about football's deeper appeal; Verona,a city often forgotten about in the classical litany of great Italian cities,has some of the most intense footballing rivalries -- with minnows like Chievo Verona, the 'Flying Donkeys',but also with the near neighbours,Brescia,Padova & my Italian team,Vicenza.(I followed the 'biancorossi' for the 1985-86 season which ended in the 'calcionero' fall-out & a punishment for corruption;Vicenza's promotion from 'B' to 'A' was overturned). Tim Parks really gets under the radar,& analyses & enthuses over the commitment & devotion of Hellas Verona's combative fans.As an 'Englishman italianised',he is a very devil (in literary terms!)not holding back in his judgements on Italy's troubled post-war political history,& the often unpleasant aspects of Italian football alleigances.There is something here for all italianophiles,as Parks understands the dynamics of modern Italy as no foreigner has a right to.I found myself nodding at his observations & assertions; but this saga reads well too,& will have you wondering why no-one has ever tried it before.It has more reality than Nick Hornby's Arsenal panegyric,& is a welcome addition to the genre of football non-fiction (most footballers employ ghost-writers,whose deathless prose condemns many of our sporting heroes to open ridicule in countless 'autobiographies').I like Tim Parks's novels but his non-fiction work stands tall too.
December 15, 2011
Perhaps the best soccer memoir ever written. Vastly superior to the earlier Castel de Sangro book. Excellent tale of Italian football through Verona’s struggle with possible relegation. Good look at Italy in the eyes of fans, and what makes the rivalries. Cheating, Divining, possible match fixing, its all there and fun.
I reread this following my trip to Italy and it is even better when read as a travelogue.
I reread this following my trip to Italy and it is even better when read as a travelogue.
June 30, 2025
Miglior libro sul calcio italiano. Fine della discussione.
Solitamente i libri sul calcio si dividono tra autobiografie scritte male e libri di giornalisti sportivi, magari innamorati dello sport ma ignoranti su ciò che è realmente il tifo.
Tim Parks invece cambia le regole e crea un'opera rara.
Romanziere, giornalista, saggista e traduttore, Tim, dopo essersi sposato va a vivere a Verona e inizia a seguire L'Hellas fino ad affezionarsi e a decidere di seguirne tutte le partite di un'intera stagione, trasferte comprese, e di scriverci un libro.
Per Parks le partite del Verona e gli avvenimenti riguardanti la sua tifoseria diventano pretesti per parlare di svariati argomenti tra cui religione, la poesia di Leopardi, politica, razzismo, magia, sessualità... Tim ha delle intuizioni brillanti, ad esempio paragonare i cori più beceri delle brigate gialloblù ai Canti di Maldoror di Laureamont perché in entrambi si prova al contempo ilarità e malessere ed entrambi sottopongono al sarcasmo qualsiasi cosa.
Parks è un grande scrittore, ma è prima di tutto un tifoso. E scrive un libro che non demonizza le curve ma, anzi, le esalta, perché i bigotti non sono i tifosi, sono i giornalisti e i burocrati che rovinano il tifo.
Denunciamo la repressione di uno stato che dà dei fascisti ai membri delle tifoserie salvo poi adoprare esso stesso provvedimenti fascisti quali la tessera del tifoso, i daspo, le leggi pseudoantirazziste e quelle sui cori di discriminazione territoriale, col sogno di avere tifoserie all'americana, con tifosi che mangiano tripli cheeseburger in stadi centri commerciali, venduti come soluzione al problema del tifo politicizzato.
Il tifo però non è politica. E il tifo non si vende. Il tifo è ironia, brillante e pensatissima; i cori discriminanti sono boutade per innervosire gli avversari e ben vengano le pubblicità del whiskas ai tifosi del Vicenza, lo striscione con le coordinate per bombardare i quartieri spagnoli a Napoli, il tifare per finta la squadra avversaria quando la tua fa proprio cagare, gridare "morte! morte!" ai simulatori, dare dei criminali a chi si vende le partite e insultare chiunque per qualunque motivo.
E se la tua libertà inizia dove finisce la mia sei libero di guardarti le partite sul divano perché io sono libero di cantare il cazzo che mi pare, capío, dio boia?
Solitamente i libri sul calcio si dividono tra autobiografie scritte male e libri di giornalisti sportivi, magari innamorati dello sport ma ignoranti su ciò che è realmente il tifo.
Tim Parks invece cambia le regole e crea un'opera rara.
Romanziere, giornalista, saggista e traduttore, Tim, dopo essersi sposato va a vivere a Verona e inizia a seguire L'Hellas fino ad affezionarsi e a decidere di seguirne tutte le partite di un'intera stagione, trasferte comprese, e di scriverci un libro.
Per Parks le partite del Verona e gli avvenimenti riguardanti la sua tifoseria diventano pretesti per parlare di svariati argomenti tra cui religione, la poesia di Leopardi, politica, razzismo, magia, sessualità... Tim ha delle intuizioni brillanti, ad esempio paragonare i cori più beceri delle brigate gialloblù ai Canti di Maldoror di Laureamont perché in entrambi si prova al contempo ilarità e malessere ed entrambi sottopongono al sarcasmo qualsiasi cosa.
Parks è un grande scrittore, ma è prima di tutto un tifoso. E scrive un libro che non demonizza le curve ma, anzi, le esalta, perché i bigotti non sono i tifosi, sono i giornalisti e i burocrati che rovinano il tifo.
Denunciamo la repressione di uno stato che dà dei fascisti ai membri delle tifoserie salvo poi adoprare esso stesso provvedimenti fascisti quali la tessera del tifoso, i daspo, le leggi pseudoantirazziste e quelle sui cori di discriminazione territoriale, col sogno di avere tifoserie all'americana, con tifosi che mangiano tripli cheeseburger in stadi centri commerciali, venduti come soluzione al problema del tifo politicizzato.
Il tifo però non è politica. E il tifo non si vende. Il tifo è ironia, brillante e pensatissima; i cori discriminanti sono boutade per innervosire gli avversari e ben vengano le pubblicità del whiskas ai tifosi del Vicenza, lo striscione con le coordinate per bombardare i quartieri spagnoli a Napoli, il tifare per finta la squadra avversaria quando la tua fa proprio cagare, gridare "morte! morte!" ai simulatori, dare dei criminali a chi si vende le partite e insultare chiunque per qualunque motivo.
E se la tua libertà inizia dove finisce la mia sei libero di guardarti le partite sul divano perché io sono libero di cantare il cazzo che mi pare, capío, dio boia?
March 23, 2022
Er zijn van die boeken waarvan het eigenlijk bizar is dat ik ze niet eerder las: op mijn lijf geschreven, honderd keer aanbevolen. Dit is zo'n boek: een klassieker in zijn soort. Nu eindelijk gelezen.
En het is heerlijk. Op duizend manieren herkenbaar voor een fanatieke clubsupporter die zelf vijftien jaar achter zijn club aan reisde langs de uitvakken in binnen- en buitenland. Parks vertelt mooi en geestig. Je leert de karakters kennen: fanatieke supporters van de Curva Sud / brigate van Hellas. En passant leer je veel over Italië in het algemeen en Verona in het bijzonder. Een verrijking, waarbij het van extra waarde is dat Parks nu eens met de harde kern in een oude stinkbus door het land gaat, maar andere keren per vliegtuig met de club reist, zodat we ook spelers, directeuren, trainer Perotti en de grote baas Pastorello leren kennen.
En wát een seizoen. Wát een ontknoping. Ik wist vooraf echt niet of het nou in triomf of tragedie zou eindigen (wat Hellas Verona in 2000 deed staat me nu eenmaal niet helder voor de geest) - en daardoor was het tegen het einde verdomd spannend. Goed verteld. Heerlijk.
Twee kanttekeningen, die samen een ster kosten: Parks haalt er een aantal keren een antiek gedicht of een toneelvoorstelling bij, als dwarsverband naar de Italiaanse cultuur. Dat vond ik een paar keer vergezocht en protserig. Kanttekening twee: ik ben benieuwd of Parks, als hij het boek nú zou hebben geschreven, hetzelfde schouderophalende en vergoelijkende toontje over rabiaat racisme door de Verona-fans zou hebben aangeslagen. Ik vermoed (en hoop) van niet; ik vond zijn 'white privilege' een paar keer ongemakkelijk.
Nóg een kanttekening, eentje waaraan Parks niets kan doen: de Nederlandse vertaling is slecht. 'Europacup' waar het EK voor landenteams bedoeld wordt. Consequent 'stijgen' en 'zakken' omdat de vertaler de woorden promoveren en degraderen blijkbaar niet kent. Et cetera. Ik heb geen lijst bijgehouden, maar het zou een tamelijk lange zijn geworden.
In het Engels lezen dus. Misschien doe ik dat ook nog eens; het boek is het waard.
En het is heerlijk. Op duizend manieren herkenbaar voor een fanatieke clubsupporter die zelf vijftien jaar achter zijn club aan reisde langs de uitvakken in binnen- en buitenland. Parks vertelt mooi en geestig. Je leert de karakters kennen: fanatieke supporters van de Curva Sud / brigate van Hellas. En passant leer je veel over Italië in het algemeen en Verona in het bijzonder. Een verrijking, waarbij het van extra waarde is dat Parks nu eens met de harde kern in een oude stinkbus door het land gaat, maar andere keren per vliegtuig met de club reist, zodat we ook spelers, directeuren, trainer Perotti en de grote baas Pastorello leren kennen.
En wát een seizoen. Wát een ontknoping. Ik wist vooraf echt niet of het nou in triomf of tragedie zou eindigen (wat Hellas Verona in 2000 deed staat me nu eenmaal niet helder voor de geest) - en daardoor was het tegen het einde verdomd spannend. Goed verteld. Heerlijk.
Twee kanttekeningen, die samen een ster kosten: Parks haalt er een aantal keren een antiek gedicht of een toneelvoorstelling bij, als dwarsverband naar de Italiaanse cultuur. Dat vond ik een paar keer vergezocht en protserig. Kanttekening twee: ik ben benieuwd of Parks, als hij het boek nú zou hebben geschreven, hetzelfde schouderophalende en vergoelijkende toontje over rabiaat racisme door de Verona-fans zou hebben aangeslagen. Ik vermoed (en hoop) van niet; ik vond zijn 'white privilege' een paar keer ongemakkelijk.
Nóg een kanttekening, eentje waaraan Parks niets kan doen: de Nederlandse vertaling is slecht. 'Europacup' waar het EK voor landenteams bedoeld wordt. Consequent 'stijgen' en 'zakken' omdat de vertaler de woorden promoveren en degraderen blijkbaar niet kent. Et cetera. Ik heb geen lijst bijgehouden, maar het zou een tamelijk lange zijn geworden.
In het Engels lezen dus. Misschien doe ik dat ook nog eens; het boek is het waard.
April 13, 2019
The opening chapter is possibly the best, most erudite text you'll read on any sport ever. It's worth the admission price alone. The chapter, almost the whole book, is like an anthropologist's journey into the world of an unknown tribe: the brigate, the Hellas Verona ultras. But more than that it's a gripping tale of one provincial team's season in Serie A. The final outcome is desperately important only to this small group of people, but in travelling with them we learn why this team, this season, this game is so much more important than anything else in the world, to them, right here, right now. It's the human connection - to history, to the community, to each other. The whole footballing myth is blown apart during the course of the novel - the players are exposed as mercenaries, bought and sold for a profit by an owner who seemingly cares nothing for the team. But in spite all of this, and knowing this, the fans care, we care, and ultimately that is the beautiful insanity that is football.
March 1, 2024
Superb. Started off straightforward but really picked up around midway as his matchday experiences diversify, spending time with players and club officials, and he examines the state of football; the importance and the futility; the dynamics of a crowd; mercenaries, regional rivalries, media spin, racism and internet anonymity. Also VERY prophetic of calciopoli, but by the sounds of it that conspiracy theory wasn't too hard to believe
September 20, 2018
Absolutely brilliant - from start to finish this is as gripping as any fictional thriller, hilarious in parts and an absolute must if you’re a football fan (as opposed to just a [team name] fan). Don’t look up any results from the season in the book, part of the fantastically unbearable tension is not knowing what’s going to happen next. Superb.
July 31, 2012
My favourite sports book and believe me I've read a few. It has the real authenticity of a fan going to every game. It helps that he chose a nail biting season for Hellas Verona too.
July 31, 2012
It is a few years since I read this classic football book and reading the posted reviews brought it all back to me. Some times books stick with you and you quote them at everyone to read 'A season with Verona' is one such book.
You dont have to like all the people who travel the length and breadth of Italy with but you actually do, whilst you dont agree with their views there is something admirable in following your team the length of Italy to be met with hostility, see them get beat and travel all the way home again.
This book reminded me of football in England in the 80's when it was unfashionable and the people who followed their temas with treated with contempt and disdain by the majority of their fellow citizens, now it is on everyones weekend to do list, how times change. Being a follower in the 80's I recognise many of the charcters in Tim's travels and can relate to a good many more, they are not a bunch of hooligans, they are a group of people brought togethr with the one constant in their life, their football club.
If you pick up a football book, pick this one and enjoy.
You dont have to like all the people who travel the length and breadth of Italy with but you actually do, whilst you dont agree with their views there is something admirable in following your team the length of Italy to be met with hostility, see them get beat and travel all the way home again.
This book reminded me of football in England in the 80's when it was unfashionable and the people who followed their temas with treated with contempt and disdain by the majority of their fellow citizens, now it is on everyones weekend to do list, how times change. Being a follower in the 80's I recognise many of the charcters in Tim's travels and can relate to a good many more, they are not a bunch of hooligans, they are a group of people brought togethr with the one constant in their life, their football club.
If you pick up a football book, pick this one and enjoy.
December 22, 2020
I had this bought for me some time ago and it has sat on my shelf for a while. I read it more to get rid of than from any particular interest. For the most part, I was pleasantly surprised. It has some excellent descriptions of games with all the emotions swirling round when the results are good or bad. It also deals more broadly with Italian football and Italian culture so had more to offer than a straight football book which I doubt I would have been much interested in. My reservations about the author grew as I read more of the book, however. Hellas' ultras (brigate gialloblu) are renowned in Italy for being right-wing and racist. Park is a Hellas fan, and although never condoning their actions explicitly, I frequently felt he was trying to explain away their behaviour. Sometimes it was the media who were overblowing a story to fit their existing narrative and at other times it felt like he was giving them a 'boys will be boys at the football' pass. Either way I wasn't convinced and it soured my overall opinion.
February 21, 2024
Rereading this after 19 years, it’s still an absolute classic. I may be biased with nostalgia for my 90s/00s childhood of Channel 4’s Football Italia; and endless hours spent marvelling at all the different teams and players on Championship Manager… however I think Parks really drills into the complexities, uncomfortable compromises/gallows humour (particularly around the subject matter of songs and insults), highs and lows of being a supporter.
Not all of his writing has aged well and I think he may cringe a little at some of his views on Women’s football and some language that now seems outdated and occasionally sleazy, but it feels like an honest account of his own observations and feelings.
I thought he really got into the irrational thought processes of being a fan, about getting “too into” a team, and when it means too much.
I’ve recently returned from a visit to Italy to watch a couple of games and this has kept the good vibes going.
Superb.
Not all of his writing has aged well and I think he may cringe a little at some of his views on Women’s football and some language that now seems outdated and occasionally sleazy, but it feels like an honest account of his own observations and feelings.
I thought he really got into the irrational thought processes of being a fan, about getting “too into” a team, and when it means too much.
I’ve recently returned from a visit to Italy to watch a couple of games and this has kept the good vibes going.
Superb.
April 22, 2014
A fantastic account of a journey through Italy following Hellas Verona.
Starting with the first game of the season, the book opens up with an explosive encounter with the passionate Gialloblu fans onboard a "busy" bus to the first game of the season, away to Bari; a mere 530 miles away - a midnight departure for a 3pm game! A stark contrast to some transport in England I expect! The pace somewhat decreases after the first chapter but still fascinating nonetheless.
The racism involved is shocking but is strife throughout Italy and the book dabbles a little into politics but nothing too in-depth to deviate. It actually merges together.
As someone who has travelled the country from the north to the Veneto and the south I found this a pleasure to read and was with Verona all the way to the very last page.
Starting with the first game of the season, the book opens up with an explosive encounter with the passionate Gialloblu fans onboard a "busy" bus to the first game of the season, away to Bari; a mere 530 miles away - a midnight departure for a 3pm game! A stark contrast to some transport in England I expect! The pace somewhat decreases after the first chapter but still fascinating nonetheless.
The racism involved is shocking but is strife throughout Italy and the book dabbles a little into politics but nothing too in-depth to deviate. It actually merges together.
As someone who has travelled the country from the north to the Veneto and the south I found this a pleasure to read and was with Verona all the way to the very last page.
March 16, 2017
This book is a pure delight. I was in a sort of agony as a multitude of obligations made me read it slowly, a chapter at a time, for a couple weeks. It's perfectly written and exquisitely paced. I didn't just *learn* what it was like to be with the die-hard Verona fans, I *felt* like them. While not a soccer fan, I could understand and relate to their suffering, their elation and their subconscious desire for just one thing in a week that would let them forget who they were, what they did for a living, and belong to a tribe of fans who stuck with each other through it all, even the ugly behavior of others and the derision of people who don't understand and want to marginalize them.
A wonderful read and I give it my highest recommendation. Thanks to "Lil Bobby" for giving it to me for the sake of a bit so I'd talk about it on a podcast. Dio boia! What dedication!
A wonderful read and I give it my highest recommendation. Thanks to "Lil Bobby" for giving it to me for the sake of a bit so I'd talk about it on a podcast. Dio boia! What dedication!
November 18, 2011
Along with Fever Pitch this offers a fantastic insight into why, as legendary manager Bill Shankly once said "football isn't a matter of life and death, its much more important than that". As someone who has loved the game since I was 10 years old he does an excellent job of showing how the sport is more than just a game. It also acts as an interesting study of male group psychology and provides a wonderful look at life in Italy. It may be a something that mostly appeals to football fans but I would say to anyone who cant understand why someone would spent hundreds of dollars and hours supporting a football team every year, this is your answer!
August 1, 2017
Really enjoyed this book - Parks' account of following Verona around during the 2000-01 season, attending every league match home and away. Great descriptions of the regional and local tensions between various parts of Italy with all the major vested interests in football - including supporters, players, managers, owners, referees, the media, the game's governing authorities and (as it was election time) politicians - having their voices heard or at least their motives explored.
Doesn't sugar coat the less attractive aspects of supporting some clubs and the book is all the better for that.
Doesn't sugar coat the less attractive aspects of supporting some clubs and the book is all the better for that.
September 14, 2008
If you are not in love with Italy already, you will be after reading this British expat's experience of living in Verona with his Italian wife and children. This book, in particular, touches on the universal experience of world soccer fanaticism.
August 5, 2024
Maybe the best football book I've ever read, feels a bit dated at points but overall is fantastic. I now have to start a Hellas Verona career on football manager and write a version of this book about Beijing Guoan
November 17, 2015
This book starts off brilliantly with the tale of a boozy, drug-fuelled organised coach journey for Verona fans to a far-flung away match. The chapter blew me away and I thought I was in for a real treat as I continued through the book. Unfortunately though that chapter was the book's highlight and the other chapters couldn't compare with some proving to be a lot poorer. For example chapters where the author went on a tangent and talked about something completely unrelated to football but tried to tie it in somehow. A case in point was when instead of analysing a particularly heavy defeat for Verona at the hands of Roma the author instead of talking about the football dissected an antiquated Italian poem which I thought made for particularly heavy reading. These instances made chapters resemble academic essays which wasn't the light football-related reading I was expecting.
Other gripes include that the coverage of a Verona cup exit during the season only gets a one-line mention (as he couldn't bring himself to write about it similar to the Roma game which was neglected and replaced as mentioned above) and that his views are totally biased towards Verona. For example when the Veronese fans get picked on by the police or rival hooligans then he is up in arms against those that have committed these violent deeds. Yet when differing factions in the Verona crowd come against each other he glosses over it very quickly. Also Italian phrases are used regularly through the book so try and stick them into your memory bank when you first come across them as they are likely to be repeated later on. Failing that keep your Italian phrasebook handy.
But other things are good. The author went to the efforts of contacting the club to let them know about the book before it was written and they granted him access to the team on various occasions through the season including where he accompanied them to an away trip. Unfortunately I feel this magnificent opportunity was not utilised fully and little insight seemed to be gained from these meetings although Verona fans may find things like the club's income and expenditure figures and brief biographies of some of their playing squad of interest.
Overall though Tim Parks is obviously an accomplished writer and the book is jam-packed with material on all sorts about Italian football, Italy and their culture. However if he'd left out all the other unnecessary asides from the book and focused more on the actual football and the passion of his fellow fans like he did in the first chapter then I feel he would have made an okay book into an all-time classic.
Other gripes include that the coverage of a Verona cup exit during the season only gets a one-line mention (as he couldn't bring himself to write about it similar to the Roma game which was neglected and replaced as mentioned above) and that his views are totally biased towards Verona. For example when the Veronese fans get picked on by the police or rival hooligans then he is up in arms against those that have committed these violent deeds. Yet when differing factions in the Verona crowd come against each other he glosses over it very quickly. Also Italian phrases are used regularly through the book so try and stick them into your memory bank when you first come across them as they are likely to be repeated later on. Failing that keep your Italian phrasebook handy.
But other things are good. The author went to the efforts of contacting the club to let them know about the book before it was written and they granted him access to the team on various occasions through the season including where he accompanied them to an away trip. Unfortunately I feel this magnificent opportunity was not utilised fully and little insight seemed to be gained from these meetings although Verona fans may find things like the club's income and expenditure figures and brief biographies of some of their playing squad of interest.
Overall though Tim Parks is obviously an accomplished writer and the book is jam-packed with material on all sorts about Italian football, Italy and their culture. However if he'd left out all the other unnecessary asides from the book and focused more on the actual football and the passion of his fellow fans like he did in the first chapter then I feel he would have made an okay book into an all-time classic.
December 25, 2014
I had read Tim Parks' other books, Italian Education and Italian Neighbours, so I was already familiar with his writing style, which I find is quite easy to read.
The book follows a season - home and away - with his adopted local club, Hellas Verona. Each chapter more or less gives an account of one game (some have more than one, but they are the exception). If the team is away, there is usually an account of the journey, whether by coach or train with the gialloblu brigate, or occasionally with the team itself. Each chapter also ties in with an interesting vignette of Italian culture, whether directly football related or not (everything in the book is kind of football related).
Hellas Verona soon finds itself at the wrong end of the Serie A league, which I did find led to the injection of more pace in the book than in Tim Parks' other books, that recount his family's experiences in adjusting to relocating to Italy.
As a football fan who also used to follow a team home and away (in my case Arsenal), I could really relate to the author's experiences. The cultural insights that are specific to Italian football (such as what I think is now 'la partita fella pace', but then was 'la partita fella fede) enhanced my appreciation for the peculiarities of Italian football, similar to the content 'Calcio: A History of Italian Football' but in a more enjoyable manner.
For anyone who's interested in Italian culture and football, I would say that this is a must read.
I gave it 4 stars rather than 5, because there was one chapter I objected to. It is quite early on in the book, and tries to compare football support to historical ideas of Italian heroism and character as outlined in various poetic passages. I got quite bogged down here, as I find reading poetry far more taxing than prose, and eventually skipped over it. It was quite easy early on in the chapter to see the point the author was making, so I kind of resented having to trudge through. That chapter aside though, I was quite happy to rattle through the rest of the book.
The book follows a season - home and away - with his adopted local club, Hellas Verona. Each chapter more or less gives an account of one game (some have more than one, but they are the exception). If the team is away, there is usually an account of the journey, whether by coach or train with the gialloblu brigate, or occasionally with the team itself. Each chapter also ties in with an interesting vignette of Italian culture, whether directly football related or not (everything in the book is kind of football related).
Hellas Verona soon finds itself at the wrong end of the Serie A league, which I did find led to the injection of more pace in the book than in Tim Parks' other books, that recount his family's experiences in adjusting to relocating to Italy.
As a football fan who also used to follow a team home and away (in my case Arsenal), I could really relate to the author's experiences. The cultural insights that are specific to Italian football (such as what I think is now 'la partita fella pace', but then was 'la partita fella fede) enhanced my appreciation for the peculiarities of Italian football, similar to the content 'Calcio: A History of Italian Football' but in a more enjoyable manner.
For anyone who's interested in Italian culture and football, I would say that this is a must read.
I gave it 4 stars rather than 5, because there was one chapter I objected to. It is quite early on in the book, and tries to compare football support to historical ideas of Italian heroism and character as outlined in various poetic passages. I got quite bogged down here, as I find reading poetry far more taxing than prose, and eventually skipped over it. It was quite easy early on in the chapter to see the point the author was making, so I kind of resented having to trudge through. That chapter aside though, I was quite happy to rattle through the rest of the book.
March 26, 2010
I had high expectations for this book, having thoroughly enjoyed Parks' Italian memoirs, Italian Neighbors, and An Italian Education. The book is the story of the Hellas Verona football (soccer) team as Parks follows them through an entire 30+ game season. You meet the players, coaches, owners, and fans, and get to know more than soccer; you learn about the place that the game holds in modern Italian society. I say "modern," but the game truly has a historical reference. Parks writes that "there is nothing that can happen in Italian football that will not be seen in terms of an ancient quarrel" as the fans taunt other fans with slogans that insult their historical struggles. Initially, I didn't care for it, and thought I would never make it through the 447 pages. The brigate (rabid fans of Verona) are a motley bunch of hooligans -- with tendencies toward racism and violence that really put me off. I paid little attention to the players or their histories early in the book, and realized my mistake later when I had failed to identify with them, but then suddenly found myself rooting for them. This transition happened for me when Parks gets to accompany the team on an away trip, telling us all of the behind the scenes details that he learns about players and their relationships with one another and the coaches. Soon I found myself disappointed at the team's losses, cheering the team's wins, examining the point standings at the start of each chapter, and laughing at some of the (more tepid) chants of the fans. I'm not sure I became a fan of the fans, but I started to see them as whole people, not just hooligans. In the end, I'm not converted to becoming a football fan, but I will now understand it when I see the images on TV of the crazy stadium scenes in Italy.
September 22, 2016
Excellent narrative of Hellas Verona's travails home and away in Serie A, season 2000/01. Tim Parks is an Englishman that emigrated to Verona some years before and had been a fan of his adopted home town club for several years before deciding to embark on this journey. A dramatic year ensued, of ups and downs, of violence and swearing, of near misses and glorious victories, Parks captures the fan experience like no one else. The bond built between hard core fans following their club up and down the country doesn't compare to that of the casual fan or even season ticket holder only attending the home games in relative luxury. Braving the elements, ungodly hours and violent policemen and opposition fans, Parks stuck with the journey through thick and thin and produces a most elegant and thoughtful narrative filled with action, philosophy, history, sociology, and even poetry. Each chapter on the whole, describes one of the 34 games of the season played by the Brigate Gialloblu (Hellas) during that season, and invokes real nostalgia in the global football fan when reading about international stars at the beginning (Mutu, Gilardino, Oddo etc) and at the end (Appoloni) of their careers. The fortunes of the team affect real people's day to day thoughts and the book does well to bring these to life in technicolor. Highly recommended for all sports fans (or indeed spouses and partners of sports fans!!) or those interested in the differences in Italian regional culture and their rivalries.
January 7, 2023
An llustration of racism in Italy by a British racist lacking in self-awareness
Focusing on one club famous for racist and fascist football ultras, this book is a fascinating illustration of racism in Italy. The illustration is both in Italy's unique internal racism (the gross hatred directed by Italian northerners towards the "lazy", "cholera suffering" southerners), and in more classical European terms (towards people of colour, and immigrants from the Global South". Sadly, this compelling book is made into painful reading by the author's illustration of the point in his own writing.
In literary terms, this is a great book. A compelling narrative that mixes a classical British self-mocking introspection with a compelling narrative that will mesmerise anyone interested in Italian culture and football fan culture. In explicit terms, he does also occasionally position himself as against racism.
But Parks repeatedly employs indefensibly racist language and analysis of "blacks" and immigrants, and tries to justify the unjustifiable behaviour of other fans.
I wish I could recommend reading this for its literary brilliance, but I couldn't forgive myself for platforming a work like this.
Focusing on one club famous for racist and fascist football ultras, this book is a fascinating illustration of racism in Italy. The illustration is both in Italy's unique internal racism (the gross hatred directed by Italian northerners towards the "lazy", "cholera suffering" southerners), and in more classical European terms (towards people of colour, and immigrants from the Global South". Sadly, this compelling book is made into painful reading by the author's illustration of the point in his own writing.
In literary terms, this is a great book. A compelling narrative that mixes a classical British self-mocking introspection with a compelling narrative that will mesmerise anyone interested in Italian culture and football fan culture. In explicit terms, he does also occasionally position himself as against racism.
But Parks repeatedly employs indefensibly racist language and analysis of "blacks" and immigrants, and tries to justify the unjustifiable behaviour of other fans.
I wish I could recommend reading this for its literary brilliance, but I couldn't forgive myself for platforming a work like this.
May 15, 2018
I might have given this book five stars had the dramatic finish - saving Verona's place in Serie A - not coincided with the disappointing finish to the season of Swansea City dropping out of the EPL. I hoped that Swansea could find a miracle finish - really needing less than Verona over the final weeks - and land itself back in the English Premier League for another season. Instead, my Swans take the emotional plunge that Parks follows and writes about in Italy in the early 2000s. It is the focus of much of life in Italy - the local team's fate carries with it the fate of personal values and community success. Hellas survives!
March 29, 2009
Tim Parks, an English author who has lived in Verona for twenty years, decided to chronicle the 2000-01 Serie A season by following Hellas Verona to all their home and away games. Hellas has been his team even though their fans are reviled throughout the rest of the league because of their perceived racism and other bad behavior (though it really seemed like they were not much worse than any other team‘s supporters). A look at Italian character, culture, and politics viewed through the lens of their favorite sport.
August 13, 2017
An immersive account
A wonderful read! For a person reasonably familiar with Italian football but not familiar with the Italian people,this was an eye opener. Parks travels for an entire season with the Brigate ( the Hellas Verona fans) and lives to tell the tale! Read it for a rowdy rousing tale of male bawdiness, football as a reflection of the nation conscience & above all the relationship between an English man and his affection for a provincial Italian club.
A wonderful read! For a person reasonably familiar with Italian football but not familiar with the Italian people,this was an eye opener. Parks travels for an entire season with the Brigate ( the Hellas Verona fans) and lives to tell the tale! Read it for a rowdy rousing tale of male bawdiness, football as a reflection of the nation conscience & above all the relationship between an English man and his affection for a provincial Italian club.
March 27, 2009
Only a handful of books have ever brought me to tears from laughter, yet Park's account of "da bomb" had me rolling. Overall a very well written account, featuring future stars like Mutu and Laursen. And what a deal, "Honey, I have to attend every road game for the whole season. It's for work, really."
March 31, 2013
As if it wasn't already known, Italian football is a mad place, the people who get involved in Serie A football are even madder. This is my second read of this book. It is still, in my opinion the best football book out there. Hellas Verona's season of uncertainty and disgrace makes for amazing reading.
August 20, 2013
This is an excellent book that grants the reader an insight in the life of a true fan; one who still can step back from his emotions and add interesting perspectives on the society in which the drama of Serie A - and Serie B for that matter - plays out.
August 26, 2013
Now that Hellas Verona are back in Serie A I'm hoping Tim Parks will do another season!
Less about the game on the pitch and much more about Italy at the time and the challenges it was facing as well as the supporters who follow their teams passionately.
I think I'm ready to read this one again!
Less about the game on the pitch and much more about Italy at the time and the challenges it was facing as well as the supporters who follow their teams passionately.
I think I'm ready to read this one again!
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