Archive for the ‘Sport’ Category
March 17th, 2010 by Sophy
The blurb, notes and links related to a new book published for the upcoming FIFA World Cup:
If we can learn anything from our unique, energetic Mzansi style, which was created in such unsuitable surroundings of the township streets, then we should have hope.
– Jennifer Malec, Kick-Off Magazine
Soccer is more than a game for entertainment or a sport for prestige in South Africa. And there is more to a soccer field than a flat, open area with neatly trimmed grass.
In South Africa, a soccer field is a place of camaraderie and fun, a community hub, an alternative to crime, a sporting battlefield. It may be a road, a parking lot, a beach or purposely built pitch. And it might be used by children, club teams, carefree strangers passing by, or cattle.
The Real Soccer Fields of South Africa explores all of these fields through a collection of photographs by Christiaan Vorster, young South African photographers, the DreamFields Project and Kick-Off Magazine, as well as a few international photographers.
Beyond the fields themselves, specially written articles and features focus on the meaning of these spaces, highlighting the obstacles South African soccer players face, and celebrating their passion and determination.
10% of net sales will be donated to the DreamFields Project.
Contributors:
Christiaan Vorster, The DreamFields Project, Kick-Off Magazine, The Extra-Mural Education Project, Grant Veitch, The Richard Allen Foundation, The Stellenbosch Academy of Design and Photography, St Andrew’s School for Girls, Michaelhouse, Westville Boys’ High School
Book details
Cats: Non-fiction,
South Africa,
Sport Tags: BOOK SA - News,
Christiaan Vorster,
DreamFields Project,
EMEP,
FIFA,
Grant Veitch,
Jennifer Malec,
Kick-Off Magazine,
Link Love,
Michaelhouse,
Non-fiction,
ReadHill Publishing,
Richard Allen Foundation,
South Africa,
Sport,
St Andrews,
Stellenbosch Academy of Design and Photography,
The Real Soccer Fields of South Africa,
Westville Boys High School,
World Cup
January 4th, 2010 by Ben - Editor
Alert! Have you seen Invictus, the Clint Eastwood-directed film based on John Carlin’s account of the significance of the 1995 Rugby World Cup?
It’s full of gaffes, of course – as all movies based on true stories necessarily are. My favourite? When Morgan Freeman, playing Nelson Mandela, says “The past is the past” – pronouncing “past” with a short “a”.
An army of nitpickers has apparently been busy writing a complete guide to the movie’s historical missteps over at Wikipedia:
- Near the end of the movie, Francois Pienaar mentions Mandela’s “30 years in that cell,” referencing his visit to Mandela’s cell on Robben Island. In fact, Mandela spent about 17.5 of his 27 years of imprisonment in the cell on Robben Island. He was imprisoned in Johannesburg and then Pretoria for about a year and a half during his trial, then sent to Robben Island for 17.5 years. He was moved to Pollsmoor Prison for 6 years, then to Victor Verster Prison for 2 years until his release. When Mandela’s earlier arrests and imprisonments are factored in, he did spend about 30 years in prison, just not at Robben Island. (See Mandela’s autobiography Long Walk to Freedom.)
- The All Black Haka, the war dance performed before the start of a match, is always led by a senior Maori player except when no Maori are available. In the film, the leader appears to be New Zealand European (Pakeha).
- In the shot of the 747 pilot looking over the stadium, the shot includes a Vodacom advert on top of the tall Ponty Building. In 1995, there was a Coca Cola sponsorship on top of the building.
Have you got any notes to add?
Book details
Cats: International,
Non-fiction,
Sport Tags: BOOK SA - News,
Clint Eastwood,
International,
Invictus,
John Carlin,
Matt Damon,
Morgan Freeman,
Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation,
Non-fiction,
Penguin,
Politics,
South Africa,
Sport
January 4th, 2010 by Ben - Editor
Chris Foy caught up with former Western Province captain – and sometime Springbok – Luke Watson in Bath, UK, and got his opinion of the criticisms leveled at him in John Smit’s bestselling rugby memoir:
Speaking from Bath where he has started afresh in English rugby, Watson insisted this week that he was not hounded out of South Africa, but admitted that life here had become very uncomfortable.
He also said he was not sure whether he wanted to play for the Springboks again.
“In hindsight they (Bok team mates) are all coming out now, but if they are so brave they would have said it there and then,” said Watson.
“If I was the captain of the side and some junior player was in there messing up the vibe, then I would say something immediately.
Book details
Cats: Misc,
Non-fiction,
South Africa,
Sport Tags: Bath,
BOOK SA - News,
Captain in the Cauldron,
Chris Foy,
Mike Greenaway,
Misc,
Non-fiction,
Pepper Press,
South Africa,
Sport,
The John Smit Story,
UK
December 22nd, 2009 by Ben - Editor
That sports titles like Captain in the Cauldron: The John Smit Story easily outstrip literary book sales in South Africa can be ascribed, on the one hand, to a culture of celebrity, and, on the other, to a lack of a culture of reading, say book personalities Stephen Johnson, Jenny Crwys-Williams and Jonathan Ball in this article by Adele Shevel:
Sporting heroes such as John Smit score big outside the field of play – their books tend to outsell those of literary luminaries in South Africa.
And while sporting biographies sell better than literary fiction, sporting heroes sell best of all.
Jake White’s In Black and White, published shortly after he coached the Springboks to a World Cup win in 2007, has sold 230000 copies, making it South Africa’s top-selling book, outstripping international best-seller Harry Potter in this country.
Smit’s In the Cauldron, launched in mid-November, has already sold more than 20000 copies, according to the Nielsen Book Scan. It helps that Smit is the world’s most capped rugby test captain and a South African legend, as well as being an all-round Mr Nice Guy.
Book details
Cats: Biography,
Non-fiction,
South Africa,
Sport,
Zebra Tags: 2007 RWC,
Adele Shevel,
Autobiography,
Biography,
BOOK SA - News,
Captain in the Cauldron,
Craig Ray,
David Gemmell,
English,
In Black and White,
Jake White,
Jenny Crwys-Williams,
Jonathan Ball,
Joost,
Mike Greenaway,
Non-fiction,
Pepper Press,
Random House Struik,
Rugby,
Rugby World Cup,
South Africa,
Sport,
Springboks,
stephen johnson,
The John Smit Story,
The Man in the Mirror,
Times Live,
Tony Walker,
Zebra,
Zebra Press
December 15th, 2009 by Jani
Cats: Academic,
Africa,
Afrikaans,
Biography,
Children,
Crime,
Fiction,
Food,
Green,
Humour,
International,
Jonathan Ball,
Lifestyle,
Misc,
Nigeria,
Non-fiction,
Oshun,
Pan Macmillan,
Poetry,
Politics,
Reference,
Short Stories,
South Africa,
Sport,
Zimbabwe Tags: 'n Vurk in die pad,
A Captain's Diary,
A Fork in the Road,
A Memoir of Zimbabwe,
A short-short history of South Africa,
A simple guide to growing your own good,
Academic,
Africa,
Africanismo,
Afrikaans,
Albie Sachs,
Alzheimer's Disease,
An Elegy for Easterly,
An organic guide to growing your own food,
Andre Brink,
Autobiography,
Bagatelle,
Bake,
BBC Lifestyle,
Ben Okri,
Biography,
Black Diamond,
Bloke,
Bloomsbury,
BOOK SA - News,
Breyten Breytenbach,
Cape Town,
Castaway,
Charroux,
Children,
Clare Hart,
clean food,
Constitution,
Constitutional Court,
Constitutional Court Justice,
Cookbooks,
Cooked in Africa,
Cookery Books,
cooking,
Craig Fraser,
Cricket,
Crime,
Daddy's Girl,
Delectable,
Dinosaurs Diamonds and Democracy,
Disgrace,
Douglas Rogers,
Electric Book Works,
Emigration,
English,
Faber and Faber,
Fiction,
Fiona Moodie,
Food,
Food from the heart of France to the Cape,
Food Studio,
Francis Wilson,
French Cuisine,
Fruits,
Gardening,
Gerda Genis,
Graeme Smith,
Green,
Green Point,
Grow to Live,
Gus Ferguson,
Harvill Secker,
Helen Moffett,
Her battle with Alzheimer’s,
History,
Holding Pattern,
Hot Afro,
Human & Rousseau,
Humour,
Hypen,
Hyphen,
Immigration,
Imprendehora,
In die Nimmer-Immer Bos,
In the Never-Ever Wood,
Interior Inspiration from Southern Africa,
Interiors from South Africa,
International,
J. M. Coetzee,
Jacana,
Jacana Media,
Jane Griffiths,
Jane Griffriths,
Jane's Delicious Garden,
Jason Comins,
Jeh Grobler,
JM Coetzee,
Jonathan Ball,
Justin Bonello,
Justin Cartwright,
Kevin Bloom,
Kwela Books,
Law,
Lifestyle,
Linda Rode,
Mahmoud Darwish,
Mandy Allen,
Margie Orford,
Marlene van der Westhuizen,
Misc,
Modjaji Books,
Nigeria,
Non-fiction,
Oorblyfsel/Voice over,
Organic Gardening,
Oshun,
Oxford University Press,
Pan Macmillan,
Pat Featherstone,
Penguin,
Petina Gappah,
Phillippa Cheifitz,
Picador Africa,
Poetry,
Politics,
Protea's,
Publisher,
Quartz Press,
Quiver Publications,
Quivertree Publications,
Recipe Books,
Recipes,
Reference,
Rider & Co,
Russel Wasserfall,
Sally Rutherford,
Seafood,
Sharon Sorour-Morris,
Short Stories,
Siobhan Gunning,
Snail Press,
Snailpress,
Some Craciun,
Some Editor,
Some Illustrator,
Some Other Editor,
Some Other Illustrator,
Something On My Mind - Kate Jowell,
South Africa,
South Africa Eats,
South African Cuisine,
South African Food,
South African Recipes,
Sport,
Strange Fruit,
Subtitle,
Sue de Groot,
Summertime,
Sumptuous,
Sunbird,
Tafelberg,
Tales of Freedom,
Tania Van Schalkwyk,
The Anglo-Boer War Through the Eyes of the Burghers,
The Last Resort,
The Strange Alchemy of Life and Law,
The War Reporter,
Tina Bester,
Tina Bester Queen Of Tarts,
To Heaven by Water,
Translation,
UCT Young Writers Series,
Umuzi,
Vegetables,
Virago Press,
Ways of Staying,
Yvette Christiaansë,
Yvette Christianse,
Zakes Mda,
Zimbabwe
December 9th, 2009 by Jani
Clint Eastwood’s adaptation of John Carlin’s Invictus seems geared to make a worldwide splash. And why wouldn’t it? The film captures an iconic moment in South African history – when Nelson Mandela strode out onto the playing field at Loftus Versveld in Francois Pienaar’s number 6 rugby jersey in 1995.
It was a great moment, certainly – but the Mail & Guardian’s David Smith points out that, when it comes to transformation and race relations, SA rugby is still looking for a real happy ending:
Freeman will be in Johannesburg for the premiere of Invictus, Clint Eastwood’s Oscar-tipped movie telling how Mandela used the power of sport to heal the scars of apartheid and bring black and white South Africans together.
The film shows Mandela embracing the Afrikaners’ cherished sport, rugby, as South Africa hosts the Rugby World Cup in 1995. Whereas previously he and other black people had cheered for the Springboks’ opponents, by the end he is wearing their green and gold jersey and rallying black people to the national side.
Book details
Image courtesy Daemonsmovies
Cats: International,
Non-fiction,
Politics,
South Africa,
Sport Tags: 1995,
2007,
BOOK SA - News,
David Smith,
International,
Invictus,
John Carlin,
Mail & Guardian,
Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation,
Non-fiction,
Penguin,
Politics,
Rugby,
Rugby World Cup,
South Africa,
Sport
December 2nd, 2009 by Ben - Editor
Alert! According to a recent report, in the battle of the brawny rugby books, John Smit’s biography Captain in the Cauldron is edging Joost van der Westhuizen’s memoir-with-extras, Man in the Mirror.
For the record, in the scrum that is BOOK SA’s BOOK Finder search engine, Joost’s tome is outpacing Smit’s. But in the stores, a different story may be unfolding:
If it were a rugby match, then the current Springbok captain would be winning this battle hands down. Both former Springbok captain Joost van der Westhuizen and current Springbok captain John Smit launched biographies in recent weeks, but it’s Smit’s Captain in the Cauldron that has been the best-seller so far.
Smit’s book was launched on October 24. Van der Westhuizen’s Man in the Mirror was launched eight days later, on November 1.
Man in the Mirror was punted as the tell-all tale in which the disgraced rugby player, who was once the blue-eyed boy of the game, came clean on his involvement in the now infamous sex and drug video with stripper Marilize van Emmenis that was exposed eight months ago.
Book details
Cats: Biography,
Non-fiction,
South Africa,
Sport,
Zebra Tags: Biography,
BOOK SA - News,
Book Sales,
Candice Bailey,
Captain in the Cauldron,
David Gemmell,
English,
IOL Tonight,
Joost,
Mike Greenaway,
Non-fiction,
Pepper Press,
South Africa,
Sport,
The John Smit Story,
The Man in the Mirror,
Tonight,
Zebra
November 17th, 2009 by Jani
John Smit is sekerlik een van die mees suksevolste rugbykapteins in die geskiedenis van die Springbokke. Die kanse is ook goed dat sy outobiografie (wat hy met die hulp van Mike Greenaway geskryf het) groot gewildheid gaan geniet. Captain in the Cauldron hou glo niks terug nie en praat eerlik oor spelers en situasies (soos byvoorbeeld Kamp Staaldraad) en ook oor Smit self. Vir die wat nog altyd wou weet hoe Smit en sy span so goed saamwerk en wat regtig agter die skerms aangaan is die boek ‘n moet!
Sporthelde se outobiografieë is maar alte dikwels veel lawaai en weinig wol.
’n Mens het egter rede om te vermoed dat die Springbok-kaptein, John Smit, ’n bietjie meer vir homself te sê sal hê – en Captain in the Cauldron, geskryf saam met die gerekende Durbanse rugbyskrywer Mike Greenaway, stel nie teleur nie.
Smit se loopbaan het meer opdraande en afdraande gehad as die meeste s’n. Sedert hy as jong vaskopstut ’n dekade gelede Suid-Afrika se o.21-span aangevoer het na die wêreldkroon in dié ouderdomsgroep, is hy as’t ware grootgemaak om eendag Springbok-kaptein te word.
Boekbesonderhede
Cats: Afrikaans,
Non-fiction,
South Africa,
Sport Tags: Afrikaans,
BOOK SA - News,
Captain in the Cauldron,
Mike Greenaway,
Non-fiction,
Pepper Press,
Rapport,
South Africa,
Sport,
The John Smit Story
November 16th, 2009 by Sophy
In contrast to the magnum opus of Joost van der Westhuizen, John Smit’s rugby book, Captain in the Cauldron: The John Smit Story is not smutty. Yet a certain excerpt from the said book, written by Mike Greenaway, on the infamous Kamp Staaldraad does, in fact, reveal all. Here’s the Sunday Times‘ coverage of the book:
Captain in the Cauldron is more than a book about the world’s most capped captain, it’s a modern history of Springbok rugby through the eyes of a player who has been there from the bumbling years to the current world champion days.
It’s an account of how the game shaped the Rainbow Nation’s Captain Colossus before he returned the favour by doing his own shaping.
And here’s the book excerpt:
Before we set out, I got some advice from a mate of mine from Durban who was friendly with one of the instructors running the camp.
He said that one of the drills required you to bury an egg and cook it underground, underneath a fire, and urinate on the egg so that the moisture cooked it. He told me we would only get one match, so I should smuggle in a lighter, which I did, lodged in the inside of my cap.
After about two-and-a-half hours in the bus, we were nearing Warmbaths (now Bela-Bela) when we were told to put on blindfolds. About 20 minutes later the bus stopped, and we were told to take the blindfolds off and get off the bus. It was pitch black and we were in the middle of nowhere. Then the shouting started.
Book details
Photo courtesy the Sunday Times
Cats: Non-fiction,
South Africa,
Sport Tags: Bela-Bela,
Book Excerpt,
BOOK SA - News,
Captain Colossus,
Captain in the Cauldron,
Extract,
John Smit,
Joost van der Westhuizen,
Kamp Staaldraad,
Mike Greenaway,
Non-fiction,
Pepper Press,
Rainbow Nation,
South Africa,
Sport,
Sunday Times,
The John Smit Story
November 13th, 2009 by Ben - Editor
Sport24 got its hands on the “other” rugby book to come out for the traditional Xmas-sport-book spree this year: Captain of the Cauldron: The John Smit Story. It goes on sale tomorrow. Here’s the first gloss, which relates matters Sharks, Watson, Staaldraad and Komphela:
While much has already been written on Kamp Staaldraad, Smit relates how this over-the-top militarism did not stop with Smit himself having to rip the head off a live chicken. The campaign was carried into the 2003 World Cup in Australia. In a stupid attempt to bring back memories of Staaldraad they were served chicken legs and eggs. They had guards posted at their doors and were trailed by the coach’s spies (their chief Adriaan Heijns, a former undercover agent in the SA Police Force, being dubbed 000 by the players) wherever they went.
“All that suffering in the pit achieved nothing, in fact it had set us back,” Smit says.
While he supports the goals of transformation, Smit also has some strong things to say about the role of some of the sport’s administrators. Sadly, he thinks they are there for personal benefit, rather than for the good of rugby.
Book details
Cats: Non-fiction,
South Africa,
Sport Tags: BOOK SA - News,
Captain in the Cauldron,
John Smit,
Kamp Staaldraad,
Komphela,
Luke Watson,
Mike Greenaway,
Natal Sharks,
Non-fiction,
Pepper Press,
Rugby,
South Africa,
Sport,
Sport24,
Springboks,
The John Smit Story
