What – you may ask is the point of an English perspective on French sport? In David Owen’s own words, “you might just as well seek out a sea otter’s take on kabuki”. Nevertheless, having lived upwards of ten per cent of his life in France, and a lot more than that immersed in French grammar, current affairs and culture, he offers exactly that in this entertaining new book. Drawing on examples from the past six centuries, the author explores sport’s philosophical standing in France’s cultural DNA; its role in the popularisation of the Republic; the birth of the Olympics, the Tour de France and the football World Cup; French pre-eminence at real tennis and truffle hunting; and – of course – ‘la difference’ between British and French attitudes to sport.
