Book description
'This is a fan's eye-view of Paul Gascoigne - and fans, as we know,
are expert at reassembling dashed hopes...' In 1987 Ian Hamilton -
acclaimed poet, biographer and Tottenham fan - was smitten from afar
by the impish skills of Newcastle United's Paul Gascoigne. When
'Gazza' duly signed for Spurs, Hamilton was sure that he and English
football had found their new hero. But Gascoigne was destined to be
brought low by tragic flaws, and Hamilton was ideally positioned to
tell the tale in this, a peerless piece of football literature. 'By
the final whistle Hamilton has sketched a compelling figure: reckless,
cocky, twitchy, hyperactive and half bonkers... but with flashes of
implausible grace that connect with the dreams of his audience.' Independent
Ian Hamilton was born in 1938, in King's Lynn, Norfolk, and educated
at Darlington Grammar School and Keble College, Oxford. In 1962, he
founded the influential poetry magazine, the Review, and he was later
editor of the New Review. He also wrote biographies and journalism,
mainly about literature and football. He died in 2001.
