Across the gate, which is a magnificent stretch of water running from the. Jul 22, 2015 theres an informing moment in barbarian days, william finnegans memoir about his lifelong surfing obsession, when he and a friend are bumming around australia in the late 1970s. Jul 22, 2015 there comes a bright sunday hawaiian morning in william finnegans youth, and in the first chapter of his captivating new book, barbarian days. Jul 16, 2015 william finnegan is a staff writer at the new yorker where. Barbarian days is william finnegan s memoir of an obsession, a complex enchantment. Dreams of laura ingalls wilder, by caroline fraser metropolitan books. Raised in california and hawaii, finnegan started surfing as a child. Apr 19, 2016 pulitzer prize winner william finnegan on his balinese book tour last november. William finnegan born 1952 is a staff writer at the new yorker and author of works of international journalism. The rebel alliance has clearly been sucked into the mainstream this one obviously had to be read. Jul 01, 2016 at the bay area book festival, pulitzer prize winning writer william finnegan, author of barbarian days. William finnegan is a staff writer at the new yorker. Finnegan has certainly written a surfing book for surfers, but on a more fundamental level, barbarian days offers a cleareyed vision of american boyhood.
The masterpiece writing earned him a william hill sports book of the year awards as well as the pulitzer price. William finnegan is a staff writer at the new yorker and author of works of international journalism. William finnegan revisits his golden age of surfing and the classic. Raised in california and hawaii, finnegan started surfing as. Reporting from africa, central america, south america. The book s main tension runs between finnegans passion for surfing and his desire to do work that is useful and worthwhile. To break it down further, it is more life than surfing, as it follows william finnegan from youngest years to the present day, from continent to continent, from schools to jobs, from here to. Jul 19, 2015 william finnegan revisits his golden age of surfing and the classic search for the perfect wave. Aug 03, 2015 in his new book this veteran observer of sociocultural change and political events keeps his international focus but turns the lens on himself. But then the story william finnegan had to tell wasnt a particularly likely one either, even if the full extent of its unlikeliness has been lost on most nonsurfing readers. William finnegan on surf writing and winning a pulitzer. A surfing life is more the subtitle than the title that is, a surfing life. A surfing life, now in paperback about barbarian days. Perhaps surfing doubleoverhead honolua whilst off ones tits on acid was par for the course among sunburnt pagans in the 1970s, but probably not.
William finnegans barbarian days, a surfing life, refers to a story that every person spend as part of his or her life. William finnegan is a staff writer at the new yorker where. Aug 07, 2015 a meditation on love, friendship, family and surfing. But also because while it is a book about a surfing life as the subtitle states its also about a writers life. A book beloved by surfers and nonsurfers alike, barbarian days is an oldschool adventure story. Early in the book, finnegan examines how the pull of waves is intimately connected to their lethal nature. Finnegan about the relationship by creating a tension of struggle of becoming a grown up and a good citizen. A deeply rendered selfportrait of a lifelong surfer by the accla. He is competitive, aggressive even, in all thingsbut especially in this fight between two parts of himself.
Known mostly for his work for the new yorkerwhere hes been a war correspondent and foreign policy contributor since the 1980sits easier to imagine him chasing down sources than waves in remote, international locales. The 2016 pulitzer prize winners were announced yesterday, and among the winners is surfer senior writer, and longtime new yorker staffer, william finnegan, whose memoir barbarian days. William finnegan is the author of cold new world, a complicated war, dateline soweto, crossing the line, and barbarian days. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read barbarian days. William finnegan is the author of cold new world, a complicated war, dateline soweto, and crossing the line. A surfing life, william finnegan delivers an exhilarating account of surf culture while chronicling the ways in which the sport shaped him. Barbarian days is his immersive memoir of a life spent travelling. Through the book, finnegan explains about how people relate to each other. A surfing life took home top honors for biography finnegans memoir has drawn high praise from all. At the bay area book festival, pulitzer prize winning writer william finnegan, author of barbarian days.
David remnick, editor of the new yorker, where finnegan is a staff writer, has called him, one of the very best reporters ive ever seen in action, and without a doubt, bill is the greatest surfer ive ever met. Aug 14, 2015 near the end of barbarian days, william finnegans luscious memoir about his lifelong infatuation with surfing, the author describes a wave of huge power in which this tension becomes manifest. Barbarian days is william finnegans memoir of an obsession, a complex enchantment. It has debuted at no 5 on the new york times bestseller list, trailing ecstatic. William finnegan has been a contributor to the new yorker since 1984 and a staff writer since 1987. Mar 12, 2020 barbarian days is william finnegan s memoir of an obsession, a complex enchantment. Winner of the pulitzer prize for biography 2016 surfing only looks like a sport. Soon afterwards, i heard that the book had won the 2016 william hill sports book of the year award in the uk, having already picked up a pulitzer for biography. Publishers weekly, best summer books 2015 luscious ed caesar, guardian. Below are william finnegans favorite books, available to purchase individually or as a set.
A meditation on love, friendship, family and surfing. Reporting from africa, central america, south america, europe, the balkans, mexico, and australia. A surfing life, on catching nice waves in honolulu and talking while surfing. For pure sensation, pick up new yorker writer william finnegans memories of the beach, barbarian days. Winner of the pulitzer price and william hill sports book of the year. A surfing life 2015 in this autobiographical work, william finnegan affords readers a deeper look into his life as a lifelong surfer among many other things. William finnegan, surfing at cloudbreak, fiji, in 2005 scott winer by john. He has specially addressed issues of racism and conflict in southern africa and politics in mexico and south america, as well as poverty among youth in the united states, and is well known for his writing on surfing.
But also because while it is a book about a surfing life as the subtitle states its also about a writers life and, even more generally, a questers life. Its a theme that causes one to wonder if barbarian days is the apt title. Like jon krakauers into the wild, it is a sympathetic examination of what happens when literary ideas of freedom and purity take hold of a young mind and fling his body out into the far. Talking to william finnegan about his barbarian days. Whether speaking about his experiences as a political journalist or his bestselling memoir, finnegan. Harvard book store welcomes william finnegan, winner of the 2016 pulitzer prize for autobiography, for a discussion of barbarian days. A surfing life kindle edition by william finnegan author visit amazons william finnegan page. William finnegan books, biography and facts about the author. A meditation on love, friendship, family and surfing the. Apr 26, 2016 william finnegan on surf writing and winning a pulitzer a conversation with the journalist whose 2015 surfing memoir, barbarian days, just won the pulitzer prize, about tapping his passion for a. He has won several awards for his journalism and the 2016 pulitzer prize for biography or autobiography for his work barbarian days.
Bill finnegan is a new yorker staffer with a background in political and conflict reportage, so he knows his writing chops and has the contacts and reputation for this to come to the attention of the literary establishment in a way that most surfing books probably dont. Like jon krakauers into the wild, it is a sympathetic examination of what happens when literary ideas of freedom and purity take hold of a young mind and fling his body out into the far reaches of the world. Charting a passion for surfing that hes indulged on beaches from san. In his new book this veteran observer of sociocultural change and political events keeps his international focus but turns the lens on himself. He has twice been a national magazine award finalist and has won numerous journalism awards, including two overseas press club awards since 2009. Apr 26, 2016 barbarian days is william finnegan s memoir of an obsession, a complex enchantment. Barbarian days is a deeply rendered selfportrait of a lifelong surfer looking for. Reporting from africa, central america, south america, europe, the balkans, mexico, and australia, as well as from the united states, he has twice received the john bartlow martin award for public interest magazine journalism.
William finnegan first started surfing as a young boy in california and hawaii. To break it down further, it is more life than surfing, as it follows william finnegan from youngest years to the present day, from continent to continent, from schools to jobs, from here to eternity. Cross sports book awards general outstanding sports writing 2016. A surfing life william finnegan, 2015 penguin 464 pp.
There comes a bright sunday hawaiian morning in william finnegans youth, and in the first chapter of his captivating new book, barbarian days. He has been surfing for half a century, chasing waves all over the world, and has returned with a tale of enchantment. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. William finnegan revisits his golden age of surfing and the classic search for the perfect wave. William finnegan surfs the meaning of his barbarian days.
At first glance, william finnegans life as a surfer seems incongruent. A surfing life, william finnegan, a writer for the new yorker, writes about his experience surfing and how it has changed his life. William finnegan on surf writing and winning a pulitzer a conversation with the journalist whose 2015 surfing memoir, barbarian days, just won the pulitzer prize, about tapping his passion for a. Near the end of barbarian days, william finnegans luscious memoir about his lifelong infatuation with surfing, the author describes a wave of huge power in. Along for the ride with william finnegan surfer magazine. William finnegan is an awardwinning reporter, a staff writer at the new yorker, and the author of the pulitzer prizewinning book barbarian days, a memoir about his lifelong passion for surfing. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. As a boy in the 1960s, finnegan moved with his family from california to oahu, where he was an outsider among kids his own age. Pulitzer prize winner william finnegan on his balinese book tour last november. In his pulitzer prizewinning memoir, barbarian days.
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