The Olympian is Ike Low, a young Cockney miler who is taken up by the eccentric, dominating coach, Sam Dee and turned into a world champion but at an immense human cost. The author himself writes, 'The Olympian can be read as an allegory, or as s straightforward story of an outstanding Cockney miler and his eccentric demanding coach. Ike Low, at the end, can be seen as a doomed Icarus, while the obsessional, deeply self-centred life of the international athlete has an almost Faustian quality. . . So Ike Low, groomed and ...
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The Olympian is Ike Low, a young Cockney miler who is taken up by the eccentric, dominating coach, Sam Dee and turned into a world champion but at an immense human cost. The author himself writes, 'The Olympian can be read as an allegory, or as s straightforward story of an outstanding Cockney miler and his eccentric demanding coach. Ike Low, at the end, can be seen as a doomed Icarus, while the obsessional, deeply self-centred life of the international athlete has an almost Faustian quality. . . So Ike Low, groomed and driven by Sam Dee, his implacable coach, is at once hero and victim. On first publication in 1969, this novel attracted deservedly extravagant praise both in the UK and USA: 'His tale is brilliantly told, rushing to a wildly exciting climax at Ike's second Olympic effort in Tokyo. And it is also as serious an effort as anyone has made to explore the tortures and indecisions of the totally dedicated athlete . . . He has picked (Ike) apart, found the delicate balance wheels inside and arrived at a tortuous, ironic absurdity. This absurdity races head and head with the sheer force of the narrative, right to the powerful, puzzling conclusion of this fine novel.' Pete Axthelm, Newsweek 'One of the best sports novels of all time. No one who is seriously interested in sports or in modern fiction should miss it.' Bill Perkins, National Observer 'Sheer unadulterated, unalloyed pleasure! How rarely that comes from a novel that is also first-rate.' Richard Lister, Evening Standard 'The Olympian is a polished technical achievement, convincing in detail and affect.' William Trevor, The Guardian
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Add this copy of The Olympian to cart. $14.73, fair condition, Sold by Stephen White Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Bradford, WEST YORKSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 1969 by Martin Secker & Warburg Ltd.
Add this copy of The Olympian to cart. $12.99, fair condition, Sold by Wonder Book - Member ABAA/ILAB rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Frederick, MD, UNITED STATES.
Add this copy of The Olympian to cart. $20.61, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1972 by Macmillan.
Add this copy of The Olympian to cart. $39.99, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1965 by Cedarwinds Pub Co.
Add this copy of The Olympian to cart. $52.68, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Faber and Faber.
Add this copy of The Olympian to cart. $78.61, new condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Faber and Faber.
Add this copy of The Olympian to cart. $87.18, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1969 by Secker & Warburg.
Add this copy of The Olympian to cart. $135.17, new condition, Sold by GridFreed rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from North Las Vegas, NV, UNITED STATES, published 1998 by Cedarwinds Pub Co.
Add this copy of The Olympian Glanville, Brian to cart. $26.99, like new condition, Sold by Arbor-Scout rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Ann Arbor, MI, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Cedarwinds.
Add this copy of The Olympian to cart. $82.15, new condition, Sold by Just one more Chapter rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Miramar, FL, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Faber and Faber.
This is an excellant novel--complex and mature, very well constructed and an exciting ending. Really delves into the psychology of the modern athlete, the price of great achievement and the foibles of human nature at play in that process.
