Simon Kuper
Encyclopedia
Simon Kuper is a British author. He writes about sports "from an anthropologic
perspective."
Kuper was born in Uganda of South African parents in 1969, and moved to Leiden in the Netherlands as a child, where his father, Adam Kuper
, was a lecturer in anthropology at Leiden University
. He has also lived in South Africa (to escape the Dutch winters), Stanford, California, Berlin and London. He studied History and German at Oxford University, and attended Harvard University
as a Kennedy Scholar. He now lives in Paris with his family.
He won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year
in 1994 with his book Football Against the Enemy, which was later released in the United States
as Soccer Against the Enemy. He has also written for The Observer
and The Guardian
, and is currently a sports columnist for the Financial Times
.
In 2003 he published his book Ajax, The Dutch, the War: Football in Europe during the Second World War. He co-authored the 2009 book Soccernomics with Stefan Szymanski. He has written on cricket occasionally, with insightful and idiosyncratic articles on cricket in the Netherlands
and cricket in apartheid South Africa.
Kuper also writes in Dutch, and his work frequently appeared in publications including the Dutch newspaper De Pers
, the literary football magazine Hard Gras, and opinion magazine Vrij Nederland
.
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
perspective."
Kuper was born in Uganda of South African parents in 1969, and moved to Leiden in the Netherlands as a child, where his father, Adam Kuper
Adam Kuper
Adam Kuper is an anthropologist most closely linked to the school of social anthropology. In his works, he often treats the notion of "culture" skeptically, focusing as much on how it is used as on what it means....
, was a lecturer in anthropology at Leiden University
Leiden University
Leiden University , located in the city of Leiden, is the oldest university in the Netherlands. The university was founded in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, leader of the Dutch Revolt in the Eighty Years' War. The royal Dutch House of Orange-Nassau and Leiden University still have a close...
. He has also lived in South Africa (to escape the Dutch winters), Stanford, California, Berlin and London. He studied History and German at Oxford University, and attended Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
as a Kennedy Scholar. He now lives in Paris with his family.
He won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year
William Hill Sports Book of the Year
The William Hill Sports Book of the Year is an annual British literary award sponsored by bookmakers William Hill. It claims to be "the world's richest sports book prize" at £22,000...
in 1994 with his book Football Against the Enemy, which was later released in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as Soccer Against the Enemy. He has also written for The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
and The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, and is currently a sports columnist for the Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
.
In 2003 he published his book Ajax, The Dutch, the War: Football in Europe during the Second World War. He co-authored the 2009 book Soccernomics with Stefan Szymanski. He has written on cricket occasionally, with insightful and idiosyncratic articles on cricket in the Netherlands
Cricket in the Netherlands
Cricket has been played in the Netherlands since at least the 19th century, and in the 1860s was considered a major sport in the country. Many other sports have long since surpassed cricket in popularity amongst the Dutch, and today there are around 6,500 cricketers in the Netherlands, recent...
and cricket in apartheid South Africa.
Kuper also writes in Dutch, and his work frequently appeared in publications including the Dutch newspaper De Pers
De Pers
De Pers is a freely distributed Dutch language tabloid newspaper in the Netherlands, with a circulation of around 200,000. Its competitors are Metro and Sp!ts. The first edition of De Pers was published on January 23, 2007....
, the literary football magazine Hard Gras, and opinion magazine Vrij Nederland
Vrij Nederland
Vrij Nederland is a Dutch magazine which was established during the German occupation of the Netherlands in World War II as an underground newspaper but has since grown into a magazine. The weekly magazine is generally considered to be intellectually left-wing...
.
External links
- Simon Kuper lecture review: The Transformation of the Netherlands by Danya Chaikel. Lecture given in Maastricht, the Netherlands on 17 October 2006.
- Simon Kuper short biography in Financial Times web site