The Last Days of Roger Federer

 

Fear not, if you are anxious that the titular ‘Last Days…’ indicates that the author is privy to some terminal diagnosis of international treasure, Roger Federer.  The term refers to his potential retirement from tennis and given this week’s news that the Federers have acquired a dog called Willow this seems likely. I mean how can he continue to play tennis and walk the dog?😉

No, this is a book about endings, all manner of endings;  last times, last works, last thinkings and demises written from the perspective of a person in their sixties who knows that the shuffling of the mortal coil is no longer some distant event, barely contemplated by persons in their prime but winking away in front of them almost beckoning towards some kind of individual finish line.

I can relate to all of it as a person also in my sixties but what attracted me to the book was the reference to Roger Federer. Because as well as being ‘old’ I am also an avid tennis fan. I allowed myself a wry grin when one of the author’s footnotes asks ‘Is watching tennis on TV primarily an old person’s game?’ Whilst the book is sprinkled liberally with tennis references, both objectively and subjectively, it is rich with an abundance of cultural and sporting allusions. And the question posited by the book, it seemed to me, is whether we, the human animal, are irrevocably drawn towards endings, conclusions? 

It is a personal reflection, written with intelligence, wit and candour, and in many ways difficult to pin down which contributes to its appeal,for me anyway. It could be seen as a thematic indulgence on the author’s part but why not?! Although at times the musings seem fragmented, random almost yet as you progress through the book you see the nuanced cohesion. And I found myself ‘googlescuttling’ which is where references in the text have me scuttling to my browser and searching via Google to learn more. And in my opinion that is the mark of a good book.

I wonder though if this is a generation book? Being the age that I am I could not only understand references to topics like Bob Dylan, jazz, tennis but I exulted in them sometimes to the point of overexcitement. For example I once made a pilgrimage to Lowell, Massachusetts to stand by Kerouac’s grave like Ginsberg and Dylan and there was something extraordinarily uplifting about seeing this referenced in a book, unexpectedly I might add.  Unexpected is another key feature of this book for almost like the ubiquitous and now cliched Forrest Gump box of chocolates I just never knew what I was going to get. But what I did get I liked. A lot.

The writer is learned, knowledgeable and he shares that knowledge generously with the reader. It’s an intellectual book but the writing style renders it accessible to the layman. It becomes almost conversational. I almost had the sense that I was the only reader the author was willing to share his thoughts with! I found much of it motivational; I want to revisit Lawrence, Rhys, Turner and Coltrane, maybe with a different perspective from my existing ones? 

And so this is a book about endings. It is also a book that makes you think. As far as it makes you think about endings – this book is just the beginning!

My thanks to Canongate Books for a copy of this book