Product Description

The Dutch club Ajax is the vehicle through which Simon Kuper recounts the stories of both survival and persecution of members of Amsterdam's Jewish population - with almost 80 per cent of Amsterdam's Jewish Corner wiped out in the War, the long-held notion that, by and large, half the Dutch population had some kind of link to the Resistance has, of late, come into question. Simon Kuper explores this issue and looks deeper into the role of football across Europe in the years both preceding and following World War 2.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #180198 in Books
• Published on: 2003-11-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
In Ajax, the Dutch, the War, Simon Kuper, broadsheet journalist and author of the bestselling Football Against the Enemy, turns his attention to the Dutch club Ajax of Amsterdam, and the hidden history of the Nazi occupation of Holland in WW2.

At one level the book can be seen as an investigation into the mystery of how and why Ajax, like one or two other of Europe's major club sides, are considered to be a Jewish team--their supporters, of no discernable faith, still wave an Israel flag at matches; in return some rival fans revel in anti-Semitic language and gestures. Kuper tries to locate the roots of this alignment through interviews with the ever-decreasing number of living witnesses, players, club officials and supporters, who experienced the period from the early 1930s to the end of the Second World War in 1945--a time in which the soul of Amsterdam, "the city of Jews and bicycles", was indelibly stained by the horrors of occupation, ghettoisation and the Holocaust.

What he finds is the story of a city, its people and its football team, that challenges the semi-truths and misconceptions about civilian lives in wartime that most of us hold--including how and why the mass obsession with football thrived in the unlikeliest circumstances. It's a personal history too. Kuper's parents, Jews from South Africa, moved to the Netherlands more than 30 years after the war had ended, but were confronted by its legacy at every turn.

By weaving himself, his family and the contemporary voices of ordinary people into what is essentially a book on a facet of 20th Century Northern European history, Kuper pulls off the remarkable feat of creating a readable, entertaining work out of potentially difficult material. Free of the occasionally pompous, cod-academic tone that soured parts of Football Against the Enemy, the book breathes a little more easily, is more involving, funnier, and more moving than its predecessor--and as such, is warmly recommended. --Alex Hankin

About the Author
Simon Kuper is the author of Football Against the Enemy and writes for the Observer and the Financial Times.

Customer Reviews

Should have won the William Hill prize
A fascinating and moving book which is as much about the impact of war and brutality on ordinary life as it is about football.

In adding to what began life as a lengthy essay on Ajax during the Second World War, Kuper also examines the effect of the conflict on the game in England and Germany as well as Holland.

Frinstance: on the day Hitler began the invasion of Russia, around 90,000 people attended the German Cup final.

However, it is probably at its most compelling when examining the fate of Dutch Jews through the prism of their football clubs.
Jewish members, who start the war as important and influential people, appear in committee meeting minutes less and less frequently before finally fading away completely.

Will appeal to historians as much as football fans. Buy the book.

A fascinating read
A brilliant and moving book based on first hand research and interviews. The best football book I have read for a long time and a refreshing change from ghosted autobiographies.

Brilliant writer and Excellent Mind.
Kuper is certainly one of the lesser known journalists among the mainstream but is definitely one of the best sport writers in the country. 'Football against the enemy,' Kuper's first book, was outstanding and a great read for football fans. David Winner's 'Brilliant Orange' gives us a better sense of Dutch culture and the history of the place but it's a bit tenuous at times. 'Ajax, the Dutch...' is more my type of book, it isn't garrulous and doesn't bog on about matches and tactics but talks about the human side and the deeper meaning behind sport. It tells a story but encourages the reader to reflect on Kuper's research. The Dutch have contributed so much to football and are an interesting bunch to analyse during the war. The title could easily have 'The Jews' inserted in the title and the story about their treatment by the Dutch is similar to that of Nazi Germany. If you like writers such as Ian Wooldridge or Simon Barnes then buy this. It's brilliant.