Book 61 - David Peace "The Damned Utd"
Jun. 28th, 2014 08:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jazzy_daveDavid Peace "The Damned Utd" (Faber & Faber)
The Damned United is the story of Brian Clough's infamous 44 days as manager of Leeds back in the seventies. It also tells, concurrently, the story of Clough's football career leading up to the point he took the position at Leeds. Peace's research allows him to tell the story from Clough's viewpoint. We share his insecurities. We cannot know what is true and what is paranoia. But this is not simply another unreliable narrator. It is the mind as unreliable narrator. A reminder that for each of us if our life is a text then we are our own reliable narrator.
It is also a brilliant (in the sense of sparkling with light as opposed to just good) reminder of the fact that Clough was such a wonderful bastard. He makes a great fictional character because he was such a one-off in real life. A Gordian knot of paradoxes. A self destructive man who orchestrated so many triumphs. An intelligent man who did so many stupid things. A tyrannical socialist. And like that knot he was a problem you could only solve by destroying it.
It is a shame that many will miss this book because it is based in the world of football, as it is not just about football, its about a man, and about what its like inside his head. His story draws you in and makes you want to read on to watch the inevitable roller coaster ride. It's themes are universal and it is outstandingly well written.
The Damned United is the story of Brian Clough's infamous 44 days as manager of Leeds back in the seventies. It also tells, concurrently, the story of Clough's football career leading up to the point he took the position at Leeds. Peace's research allows him to tell the story from Clough's viewpoint. We share his insecurities. We cannot know what is true and what is paranoia. But this is not simply another unreliable narrator. It is the mind as unreliable narrator. A reminder that for each of us if our life is a text then we are our own reliable narrator.
It is also a brilliant (in the sense of sparkling with light as opposed to just good) reminder of the fact that Clough was such a wonderful bastard. He makes a great fictional character because he was such a one-off in real life. A Gordian knot of paradoxes. A self destructive man who orchestrated so many triumphs. An intelligent man who did so many stupid things. A tyrannical socialist. And like that knot he was a problem you could only solve by destroying it.
It is a shame that many will miss this book because it is based in the world of football, as it is not just about football, its about a man, and about what its like inside his head. His story draws you in and makes you want to read on to watch the inevitable roller coaster ride. It's themes are universal and it is outstandingly well written.
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