Picador Collection-A Sport and a Pastime

The seductive classic that established Salter’s reputation as one of the finest prose writers of our time.

'One of the finest American writers of his mighty generation' - Esquire

'A tour de force of erotic realism, a romantic cliffhanger' - The New York Times

The 1960s. Philip Dean, a footloose Yale dropout, is touring provincial France and sometimes Paris in a borrowed, once elegant car. He begins a mismatched affair with a young shop girl named Anne-Marie. Together they burn in an everyday but stunningly sensual paradise.

A Sport and a Pastime is a seductive classic that established James Salter’s reputation as one of the finest writers of our time. It is remarkable for its eroticism, its luminous prose and its ability to explore the boundaries between what is dreamt and what is lived, between body and soul.

Part of the Picador Collection, a series showcasing the best of modern literature.