The literary World Cup: readers' best all-time teams

Could goalie Camus cope with an attack formed by Burroughs, Ballard and Bolaño? Guardian readers imagined football squads made from their favourite writers. As the World Cup comes to an end, we take a look at our best fictional elevens. But what team would you put your money on? Back when the World Cup was in those exciting and unpredictable first rounds, we were playing away at Penguin's imaginary books World Cup, where an England with JK Rowling, George Orwell and Agatha Christie in attack and the likes of Shakespeare and Dickens in the midfield could possibly possibly have had a chance to win something.The UK imprint imagined matches and footballing incidents on Twitter, and we joined in the fun, asking for your all-time favourite literary teams. Now that the actual competition is coming to an end, here are our top five writers' XIs.James Joyce (centre-back): "The ultimate cultured centre-back famously left his native Ireland to learn his trade on the continent. It is a rare forward who can find a way past his impenetrable prose."Cormac McCarthy (central midfield): "This tough tackling, no nonsense player patrols the border country between midfield and defence. If you thought the Comanche attack in Blood Meridian was brutal you should see what he does to a midfield runner who has the temerity to approach his territory."F Scott Fitzgerald (central midfield): "Seen by some as a luxury player too keen to sit back and admire his own beautiful passes. Sometimes seems more... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]

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