Literature and football, day 1

Today, Monday November 20 at 19:00, in the Foral Library of Bilbao, the Literature and Football 2017 meetings have started. It will be with a conversation between journalists Jonathan Wilson, Michael Calvin and Sid Lowe, under the title ‘Can football explain the world? ‘

The conversation has been in English, with simultaneous translation into Spanish. The entrance, through Astarloa street, is free until the capacity is exhausted.

Jonathan Wilson (England, 1976) is one of the most recognized football authors in the English language. Author of nine books on the sport king, is also editor of the prestigious magazine The Blizzard. Among his works are The Outsider: A History of the Goalkeeper, The Anatomy of England: A History in Ten Matches, Brian Clough: Nobody Ever Says Thank You and The Inverted Pyramid: History of Tactics in Football. This last book received the prize of the football book of the year in the British Sports Book Awards and the Antonio Ghirelli Award for the best football book published in Italy in 2013. Likewise, in 2012 Jonathan Wilson was chosen the best football writer by Football Supporters # Federation of Great Britain. He regularly collaborates with The Guardian, The Independent and World Soccer and is a red-and-white fan … but of Sunderland.

Michael Calvin (England, 1957) is one of the most important sports journalists in the United Kingdom, having worked in more than 80 countries and covered seven Olympic Games and six World Cups. He is currently Chief Sports Officer of The Independent, and has held similar positions in other newspapers such as the Daily Telegraph or the Times. He has been awarded twice as Reporter of Sports of the Year in the United Kingdom and has three football books: No Hunger In Paradise, Living on the Volcano: the secrets of surviving as football manager, Living on the Volcano and Family: Life Death and Football , in which he followed the Millwall for a whole season.

Sid Lowe (England, 1976) once made a mark to the man to David Beckham. Well, really, more than once. With 11 or 12 years old, in the field, when Beckham played in the Ridgeway Rivers. And with a few others, already as a journalist (and temporary translator) when Beckham played at Real Madrid. He was also a translator of Michael Owen, with whom he got into a predicament: instead of translating that Frank Lampard was great, he translated that it was terrific (which was not lacking to the truth, but to the text). He did a doctoral thesis on the sociopolitical origins of fascism and Francoism in Spain and the causes of civil war. He is currently a journalist in The Guardian, ESPN and World Soccer Magazine, and sometimes goes on the Cadena Ser. He is the author of Fear and loathing in the League, a social, political, human and football history of the rivalry between Madrid and Barça. And, as a shadow writer or translator, he is the author of some other book. He also makes a podcast about Spanish football. Oh, and that day Beckham won.