Fever Pitch
First edition
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| Author | Nick Hornby |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Autobiography |
| Publisher | Gollancz |
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Publication date
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1992 |
| Pages | 247 |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 27897737 |
Fever Pitch: A Fan's Life is a 1992 autobiographical essay by British author Nick Hornby. The book is the basis for two films: Fever Pitch (1997, UK) and Fever Pitch (2005, U.S.). The first edition was subtitled "A Fan's Life", but later paperback editions were not.
Fever Pitch, first published in 1992, was Hornby's first book. It tells the story of the author's relationship with football and with Arsenal Football Club, in particular. It consists of several chapters in chronological order, from the time the author first became a football fan as a child until his early thirties. Each chapter is about a specific football match that he remembers watching, most but not all at Highbury, and how it related to the events that were going on with his personal life at the time. As well as recounting Arsenal's highs and lows, Hornby talks about other football clubs that played in London.
Fever Pitch sold over a million copies in the United Kingdom. It won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year in 1992 and was reprinted with a new cover and made available as part of the 2005-06 Arsenal F.C. membership pack as part of the "Final Salute" to Highbury Stadium.
Fever Pitch was made a Penguin Modern Classic in August 2012.
A 1997 film version of Fever Pitch, with a screenplay adapted by Hornby, fictionalised the story, concentrating on Arsenal's First Division championship-winning season in 1988–89 and its effect on the protagonist's romantic relationship. Paul Ashworth, played by Colin Firth, the character based on Hornby, a teacher at a school in North London, and his burgeoning romance with Sarah Hughes (Ruth Gemmell), a new teacher who joins Ashworth's school. The film culminates with Arsenal's match against title rivals Liverpool in the final game of the season on 26 May 1989, a Michael Thomas goal giving Arsenal the 0–2 win they needed to win the title. Fever Pitch compares Hornby's life at Arsenal and other football clubs.
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