C.L.R. James’ Beyond a Boundary. The book is highly regarded and hailed as one of the greatest sports books ever written. Recording my impressions about this book, may result in unleashing a string of adjectives. Praise and acclaim have been bestowed upon it by thinkers, players and philosophers. Going through the pages, what interested me was the author’s love and fondness for the sport. His childhood at Tuna Puna, a small town in Trinidad, the cricket matches in the ground abutting his house, the magnificent views from his house window, the strict code of discipline at home, the observance of pious Christian values, the frenzied involvement in Cricket from the populace and the players. All this is the content of the first years of his life.
I had read a great deal about this book, putting it in the category of sports books where Neville Cardus, John Arlott or Jack Fingleton belonged or even higher. I was able to read it only now and my love for the sport cultivated over years of acquaintance, infused by my Dad, extraordinary spectacles, glorious batting and bowling feats peppered by witty and learned commentators, has been enriched by the dialectic and argument presented in this fascinating book.
The author asks, ‘What do they know of cricket who only cricket know?’ Cricket in the West indies fraught in the web of attitudes and practices steeped in the colonial past, the question of race and color impinging on the selection process, the impromptu and impetuous West Indian cricketers who were pure gold, intuitive and inspired in their game and execution is the content of the middle chapters where the author looks closely at West Indian masters : Constantine, Wilton St Hill, George Headley, Frank Worrell and others.
One aspect of the book that distinguishes it is its allusive narrative. The author’s avowed interest and keenness in drawing parallels and comparisons between Art, aesthetics, Cricket and literature endow the book with a flair and flavor rarely found in books on sports.
If ever there has been an attempt to transcend ‘boundaries’ as the title puts it and straddle genres bringing art, philosophy, polemic, aesthetics and Cricket into a unified paradigm, Beyond a Boundary will beat all other books with miles to spare. It is the work of an inspired and compassionate writer, with an eagerness and love towards Cricket. As the Train swerved and the bowler released the ball, I lost my view of the ground and remained ignorant of the fate of that ball. Just as in Motion picture history where Libraries preserve them as examples of culture and achievement, Beyond a Boundary is a towering human document, presenting the moods and milestones of Cricket from a cultural milieu, Philosopher’s perspective and enriches our collective heritage.