

Sinossi
Una sera, mentre lo assiste al suo capezzale, John Jeremiah Sullivan chiede al padre Mike, che ha passato la vita a scrivere di sport dopo aver rinunciato a ogni ambizione poetica, quale sia stato il momento più straordinario della sua carriera. «Ero al Derby di Secretariat, nel '73» risponde Mike. «È stato... pura bellezza». John è nato a pochi passi dalla sede del Kentucky Derby, la celebre corsa riservata ai purosangue di tre anni d'età, eppure fino ad allora si era sempre tenuto alla larga dall'ippica, e dallo sport in generale. Ma le parole del padre, e la sua improvvisa scomparsa, lo spingono a esplorare dall'interno il mondo delle corse dei cavalli, riscoprendo le irripetibili vittorie di Secretariat e assistendo alle imprese di War Emblem in un'America ancora sconvolta dall'11 settembre. Ne nasce un originale viaggio per non iniziati nella storia e nella letteratura sui cavalli, che in ogni momento si rivelano intrecciate alle vicende dell'uomo, dalle pitture rupestri di Chauvet a Guernica di Picasso, dal leggendario destriero di Cortes alle funeste fantasie eugenetiche del Terzo Reich. "Cavalli di razza" è prima di tutto la commossa riflessione di un ragazzo che fa i conti con la difficile eredità paterna, oltre che una ricerca sul senso stesso della scrittura. «I figli» dice Sullivan «spesso vagano come sonnambuli sulle sconfitte dei padri».
- ISBN:
- Casa Editrice:
- Pagine: 256
- Data di uscita: 06-09-2018
Recensioni
This is a book haunted by two ghosts: the author's father, and the great Secretariat, winner of the 1973 Triple Crown. The author tells us that the book grew out of the answer he got when, during his father's last illness, he asked him what he remembered best from his thirty years of sportswriting.
I learned that I think John Jeremiah Sullivan is a great writer! He apparently writes or wrote for GQ, which I don't have much occasion to read, so I've never read anything else but if this book is any indication of his work, I'm a fan. Stylistically, I did find the organization of it a bit odd at fi Leggi tutto
I know all this stuff about Secretariat and horses now, but no way to get them into a conversation naturally. Did you know the chronicling of the genealogy of horses predated the chronicling of human genealogy and was potentially the spur for what would become fascist eugenics ideas? Did you know Se Leggi tutto
Yesss i just adore Sullivans laconic tone and thorough research. And he`s unafraid of romantic, slightly esoteric stuff aswell.
While I have read a good bit on Mr. Sullivan's work, I stumbled upon "Blood Horses" last week in a visit to Frankfort, Ky.'s Poor Richard's Book Store, one my favorite stops. It was a chore to find it - I spotted a book that been shoved behind a shelf of books on various horse racing subjects. That
As a 30-something expatriated Kentuckian, my shared background with the author strongly biased my reading of BLOOD HORSES. Nonetheless, I will recommend this book to anyone, especially people who like PULPHEAD. Despite being a memoir seemingly devoted to Sullivan's late father, the book lacks the so Leggi tutto
If you are interested in horse racing (as I am) you will enjoy this book. It gives a great background on the horse throughout history, which is based on what seems to be exhaustive research. At times I found myself confused as to where the book was headed; sometimes it was about the history of the h Leggi tutto
Words fail me. This book explores many themes - death, remembrance, and grief central among them, as Sullivan recalls his father - but it does so as it faithfully follows the horse through history, its stints as food, idol, instrument of war, and finally the precious blood horses, bred first by Bedo Leggi tutto
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