Born in 1916 to a noble St Petersburg family, he fled Russia with his parents and arrived in England with next to nothing. By the time he was 20 he had scored the winning try in England's fi... read more
A biography of the Swiss tennis divinity, champion of sweetie-coloured blazers, master of self-possession, likened by fellow tennis players to Michelangelo for his skill.
Kurlansky is a serial obsessionist and always intriguing. Here he betakes himself to the river bank and the slippery struggle between fish and fisherman. (The fish tends to win.)