Summary of A Sport and a Pastime
“A Sport and a Pastime” recounts the romantic affair between a wealthy American dropout student and a young French woman in Burgundy, France, during the 1960s. The story is told by the protagonist’s friend, an unreliable narrator who admires but also envies him and admits making up parts of the story from his own erotic imagination.
Reasons to read A Sport and a PastimeÂ
Upon its publication in 1967, “A Sport and a Pastime” was hailed as a breakthrough novel about eroticism and desire in literature. It is still widely regarded as a classic of American literature. Far more than a simple love story, it captures the spirit of the sexual revolution of 1960s France. James Salter was an esteemed American author who won the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction in 1989 for his short-story collection “Dusk and Other Stories”. Other notable books by James Salter include “Light Years” and “All That Is”.
Setting: Autun, Burgundy (France)
Original title: A Sport and a Pastime
Year of publication: 1967
Nr of pages: 208
