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Barca. Życie, pasja, ludzie
Najlepsza książka o FC Barcelonie jaka kiedykolwiek powstała!
Nieomal rozszarpana siatka w bramce Sampdorii Genua. Piłkarz, który miał stać się legendą, podpisujący po pijanemu kontrakt, w swoim mniemaniu – z Realem Madryt. Bramkarz uciekający z Hiszpanii w przebraniu i prezydent klubu rozstrzelany przez frankistów. Zmiażdżone i stopione trofea po uderzeniu bomby w klubowy budynek. Wiceprezydent klubu skaczący do Tamizy i kibice wygwizdujący swoją drużynę mimo prowadzenia w Gran Derbi…
Tętniąca emocjami historia Barcy. Historia klubu, piłkarzy, kibiców i Katalonii. Historia najpiękniejszej piłkarskiej wspólnoty na świecie!
Nieomal rozszarpana siatka w bramce Sampdorii Genua. Piłkarz, który miał stać się legendą, podpisujący po pijanemu kontrakt, w swoim mniemaniu – z Realem Madryt. Bramkarz uciekający z Hiszpanii w przebraniu i prezydent klubu rozstrzelany przez frankistów. Zmiażdżone i stopione trofea po uderzeniu bomby w klubowy budynek. Wiceprezydent klubu skaczący do Tamizy i kibice wygwizdujący swoją drużynę mimo prowadzenia w Gran Derbi…
Tętniąca emocjami historia Barcy. Historia klubu, piłkarzy, kibiców i Katalonii. Historia najpiękniejszej piłkarskiej wspólnoty na świecie!
472 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 1999
33 people are currently reading
814 people want to read
About the author
Jimmy Burns
33 books14 followersFrom the author's website:
Jimmy Burns was born in Madrid in 1953. His father the late Tom Burns met his mother Mabel Maranon while working in the British embassy in Madrid during the Second World War. Jimmy contributes Spanish language media outlets and publishes his books in Spanish translation as Jimmy Burns Maranon. His childhood was spent straddling cultures -Britain, Castille, and Catalonia. He went to school at a British school in Madrid, then a preparatory school in London before studying for his O and A-levels at the Jesuit Stonyhurst College in Lancashire. He took a BA honours degree in Latin American & Iberian Studies at University College, London and an MA in the politics and government of Latin America at the Institute of Latin American Studies in London and The London School of Economics and Political Science. On leaving university, he spent two years teaching English to foreign students, and travelling, gaining experience as a free-lance journalist writing about Latin America and Spain. His early published work included articles for the Catholic Herald and The Tablet. During the 1970's he was commissioned by the BBC to write the script for an Everyman documentary on the Brazilian Archbishop, Helder Camara. He also worked as a researcher for Yorkshire TV, contributing to a critically acclaimed film presented by Robert Kee on the death of Franco and Spain's transition to democracy.
In 1977 Jimmy joined the Financial Times and was posted to Portugal as Lisbon correspondent, reporting also on Spain. He also became a regular contributor to the London Observer, The Christian Science Monitor, and The Economist, as well as the BBC, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and Radio Nederlands. From 1980-2 he worked for the Financial Times' international desk based in London before being posted to Buenos Aires, as the newspaper's southern cone correspondent.
He arrived in Buenos Aires in the middle of a military palace coup and three months before the invasion of the Falkland Islands by the Argentine armed forces sparked off a three-month war with Britain. He was the only full-time British foreign correspondent to remain in Argentina prior to, during, and well beyond the conflict, covering the country's transition to democracy, as well as political developments in Chile, Uruguay, and Paraguay. He continued to regularly contribute articles on Latin America to other media outlets in the UK, Europe, and the US.
In mid-1986 he returned to London to work at the Financial Times and prove himself as an author. Advised by his agent Caroline Dawnay, he agreed to be signed up by Liz Calder and Nigel Newton as one of the first authors of the most innovative independent publishing houses to emerge from the 1980's, Bloomsbury, with his book, on Argentina and the Falklands War, The Land that lost its Heroes. It won the 1988 Somerset Maugham Award for non-fiction. He followed this up with Beyond the Silver River: South American encounters, based on a collection of personal diaries he kept while living and travelling in South America. In the mid 1990's he was encouraged by David Reynolds and Penny Phillips, then editors at Bloomsbury to write the first full-length biography of Diego Maradona, and subsequently a history of FC Barcelona and the Catalan people. Together with writers like Nick Hornby, Simon Kuper, and Peter Davies, he was praised by the critics for breaking new boundaries in football writing. In between, he was commissioned by John Murray, another independent publisher at the time, to compile and write Spain: A Literary Companion. In Spain, he was co-author of Dossier Diana a book on the death of Princess Diana published by El Pais/Aguilar. In 2002, he published a revised and updated version of The Land that Lost its Heroes, on the 20th anniversary of the Falklands War, while his earlier books led by The Hand of God: The life of Diego Maradona, the first football book by a foreigner to be published in China, foun
Jimmy Burns was born in Madrid in 1953. His father the late Tom Burns met his mother Mabel Maranon while working in the British embassy in Madrid during the Second World War. Jimmy contributes Spanish language media outlets and publishes his books in Spanish translation as Jimmy Burns Maranon. His childhood was spent straddling cultures -Britain, Castille, and Catalonia. He went to school at a British school in Madrid, then a preparatory school in London before studying for his O and A-levels at the Jesuit Stonyhurst College in Lancashire. He took a BA honours degree in Latin American & Iberian Studies at University College, London and an MA in the politics and government of Latin America at the Institute of Latin American Studies in London and The London School of Economics and Political Science. On leaving university, he spent two years teaching English to foreign students, and travelling, gaining experience as a free-lance journalist writing about Latin America and Spain. His early published work included articles for the Catholic Herald and The Tablet. During the 1970's he was commissioned by the BBC to write the script for an Everyman documentary on the Brazilian Archbishop, Helder Camara. He also worked as a researcher for Yorkshire TV, contributing to a critically acclaimed film presented by Robert Kee on the death of Franco and Spain's transition to democracy.
In 1977 Jimmy joined the Financial Times and was posted to Portugal as Lisbon correspondent, reporting also on Spain. He also became a regular contributor to the London Observer, The Christian Science Monitor, and The Economist, as well as the BBC, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and Radio Nederlands. From 1980-2 he worked for the Financial Times' international desk based in London before being posted to Buenos Aires, as the newspaper's southern cone correspondent.
He arrived in Buenos Aires in the middle of a military palace coup and three months before the invasion of the Falkland Islands by the Argentine armed forces sparked off a three-month war with Britain. He was the only full-time British foreign correspondent to remain in Argentina prior to, during, and well beyond the conflict, covering the country's transition to democracy, as well as political developments in Chile, Uruguay, and Paraguay. He continued to regularly contribute articles on Latin America to other media outlets in the UK, Europe, and the US.
In mid-1986 he returned to London to work at the Financial Times and prove himself as an author. Advised by his agent Caroline Dawnay, he agreed to be signed up by Liz Calder and Nigel Newton as one of the first authors of the most innovative independent publishing houses to emerge from the 1980's, Bloomsbury, with his book, on Argentina and the Falklands War, The Land that lost its Heroes. It won the 1988 Somerset Maugham Award for non-fiction. He followed this up with Beyond the Silver River: South American encounters, based on a collection of personal diaries he kept while living and travelling in South America. In the mid 1990's he was encouraged by David Reynolds and Penny Phillips, then editors at Bloomsbury to write the first full-length biography of Diego Maradona, and subsequently a history of FC Barcelona and the Catalan people. Together with writers like Nick Hornby, Simon Kuper, and Peter Davies, he was praised by the critics for breaking new boundaries in football writing. In between, he was commissioned by John Murray, another independent publisher at the time, to compile and write Spain: A Literary Companion. In Spain, he was co-author of Dossier Diana a book on the death of Princess Diana published by El Pais/Aguilar. In 2002, he published a revised and updated version of The Land that Lost its Heroes, on the 20th anniversary of the Falklands War, while his earlier books led by The Hand of God: The life of Diego Maradona, the first football book by a foreigner to be published in China, foun
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
March 17, 2025
Historia FC Barcelony oglądana przede wszystkim przez pryzmat jej roli w utrzymywaniu katalońskiej tożsamości narodowej - wiele tu polityki, bo Burns stara się połączyć (skutecznie) losy klubu z historią regionu i Hiszpanii. Widzimy zatem Barcę bardziej od strony dyrektorskich gabinetów, niż z perspektywy murawy.
Nie oznacza to, że Burns pomija aspekt sportowy - nic z tych rzeczy - wielką wartością tej pozycji jest to, że autor przepytuje piłkarzy, trenerów czy działaczy kręcących się wokół klubu jeszcze w latach 40 i 50 (pierwsze wydanie książki to 1999 rok, kolejne wersje to po prostu aktualizacje).
Ostatecznie wyszło jak w tytule: wielopłaszczyznowa opowieść o życiu, pasji i ludziach związanych z klubem, napisana przez prawdziwego kibica, z reporterskim sznytem i swadą, chociaż gdy Burns zagłębia się w meandry działaczowskich przepychanek bywa nużąco.
Nie oznacza to, że Burns pomija aspekt sportowy - nic z tych rzeczy - wielką wartością tej pozycji jest to, że autor przepytuje piłkarzy, trenerów czy działaczy kręcących się wokół klubu jeszcze w latach 40 i 50 (pierwsze wydanie książki to 1999 rok, kolejne wersje to po prostu aktualizacje).
Ostatecznie wyszło jak w tytule: wielopłaszczyznowa opowieść o życiu, pasji i ludziach związanych z klubem, napisana przez prawdziwego kibica, z reporterskim sznytem i swadą, chociaż gdy Burns zagłębia się w meandry działaczowskich przepychanek bywa nużąco.
July 10, 2015
WOW. Even though I am a proud Manchester fan, but the book is awesome I can actually visualize each and every match while reading this.
October 5, 2014
A wonderful book that captures both the football fan and history buff in me. I knew the club played a role in Catalan culture, but until reading this book I had absolutely no idea that it played such a large role, especially throughout history. As someone more interested in Spanish history than most other things and a diehard culé, I was entranced throughout the whole thing. Burns' writing, in my opinion, is also interesting enough to keep most people enthralled. I honestly can't recommend it enough to anyone interested in either of the main topics!
July 28, 2012
This is one of the best books i have ever read....don't think my life will be the same anymore..
September 22, 2025
An incredibly detailed and extensive history of FC Barcelona. Fascinating read and clearly well researched by Jimmy Burns. Easily one of the best football books I've read. 5/5.
July 17, 2019
I like my football chocked full of short, quick passes, mixed with leftist politics and separatist history. Now I can kick my chair back from the table for a few months. VIsca El Barca!
February 11, 2021
I liked the book. Some small mistakes and maybe some chapters could have been written less detailed. Lots of politic info, of which not all seemed relevant to me. Especially about certain individual presidential candidates, people linked to Franco etc. However, there was so much knowledge on interesting topics like the beginning of the club, the club culture, the influence of Franco on Spain, the individual moments of legends like Di Stefano, Ronaldo, Maradona and of course Johan Cruyff. If you like Barcelona or football in general, give it a read.
September 20, 2022
Jimmy Burns zrobił ogrom pracy i za to go niesamowicie szanuję. Ilość czasu, jaką musiał włożyć w zebranie tych wszystkich wiadomości jest nie do pomyslenia. Jednakże szczerze powiem, że suma informacji przytłoczyła mnie nieraz podczas czytania tej książki. Natłok nazwisk, meczy... To wszystko jest dobre ale dla mnie miejscami było za dużo. Tło polityczne oczywiście było bardzo ważne w historii Barcy, ale miałam wrażenie, że bez niektórych informacji moglabym się obejść. Szanuje tego autora i doceniam jego pracę, aczkolwiek nie była to łatwa przeprawa
September 5, 2021
Skimmed a big chunk of this, it's readable enough but lacks an overarching narrative other than chronology
April 13, 2022
This book is amazing.
Read
September 23, 2021This book is pretty good. It basically deals with the club's history and how it has evolved over the years, the club's philosophy and it's role in the lives of the Catalan people. The book deals with the topic of how Spanish politics has affected the game in the country over the years. It explains the meaning of 'Mes que un club'.
It contains first hand accounts from various people including legendary players and staff who have been involved in the club's activities over the years. If you are into either football or history or both, you will probably end up loving this book (unless you are a madridiOT, of course). Jimmy Burns himself is a pretty good journalist and writer and he has managed to to a fine job here.
It contains first hand accounts from various people including legendary players and staff who have been involved in the club's activities over the years. If you are into either football or history or both, you will probably end up loving this book (unless you are a madridiOT, of course). Jimmy Burns himself is a pretty good journalist and writer and he has managed to to a fine job here.
November 16, 2012
Jimmy paints a vivid picture - my favorite parts are when he describes a particular time, place, and location. For example, the mountain road where Sunyol was shot. I wish he'd gone into more detail about Franco's efforts to suppress the story of Sunyol's murder and the campaign by the journalist to bring the truth to light, but this book is a very good read for Barca fans. Some awkward sentences at times and the organization kinda scrambles my brain, but definitely good stuff.
June 13, 2015
A detailed sketch of Fc Barcelona right from the early days of its formation, taking you through how all the major sporting and political events/figures in or outside of Catalonia affected the one of the most followed club in the world. Highly recommended to FCB fans and to those who are interested in the bitter rivalry between FcBarcelona and Real Madrid.
November 12, 2008
Interesting book particularly if you are a fan.....
Find it a little difficult to believe that Franco was responsible for all the times they didn't win La Liga............it sounds too much of playing the eternal victim........
The history of the club was interesting
Find it a little difficult to believe that Franco was responsible for all the times they didn't win La Liga............it sounds too much of playing the eternal victim........
The history of the club was interesting
February 10, 2012
A history of Barca for the first 100 years or so of its existence - up to the year 2000. Most interesting parts were about the origins and early years of the club, and also during and after the Spanish Civil War and then during Franco's time in power.
July 19, 2012
One thing that makes Barca "Mes que un club" is the fact that it is owned by its members or socios unlike most other clubs. Burns gives an excelent history of the club and also how important it is to Catalan identity. Its more than a football book!
February 24, 2008
I like my football chocked full of short, quick passes, mixed with leftist politics and separatist history. Now I can kick my chair back from the table for a few months. VIsca El Barca!
Read
September 15, 2008I learned the history of soccer and how much dedication and work was put into the game. I learned to appreciate everything about it.
July 19, 2009
The history of one of the worlds greatest clubs. A little long winded at times but well worth the read!!
November 2, 2009
Loved the way this book was written. Covers a ton of FC Barca history, and was really entertaining to read.
July 28, 2010
reviewed on my soccer blog.
January 20, 2011
excellent history of barcelona fc.
October 17, 2012
Fascinating account of a fascinating football club. The book tracks the origins of the club taking into account the high and lows of the clubs history to the late 1990's.
October 29, 2012
Great history of Barca team, for every lover of the amazing team.
November 22, 2013
An excellent club history, as far as it goes.
January 13, 2025
A slow starter with some interesting stories had me gripped once Nunez took over as club president! A great read about the complex relationship Barca has with the people and politics of Catalonia
March 30, 2012
Awesome book!
April 19, 2014
Excellent back story into Barca and Spanish history in general.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews