WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR BIOGRAPHY 2016 WINNER OF THE 2016 WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR PRIZE Surfing only looks like a sport. To devotees, it is something else entirely: a beautiful addiction, a mental and physical study, a passionate way of life. William Finnegan first started surfing as a young boy in California and Hawaii. Barbarian Days is his immersive memoir of a life spent travelling the world chasing waves through the South Pacific, Australia, Asia, Africa and beyond. Finnegan describes the edgy yet enduring brotherhood forged among the swell of the surf; and recalling his own apprenticeship to the world's most famous and challenging waves, he considers the intense relationship formed between man, board and water. Barbarian Days is an old-school adventure story, a social history, an extraordinary exploration of one man's gradual mastering of an exacting and little-understood art. It is a memoir of dangerous obsession and enchantment.
William Finnegan
William Finnegan is an American journalist and author known for his work in The New Yorker and his Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir "Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life." Finnegan's writing style is characterized by vivid storytelling and in-depth exploration of personal experiences, often focusing on themes of adventure, travel, and social issues. His contributions to literature include shedding light on the complexities of surfing culture and the impact of globalization on remote communities. "Barbarian Days" is considered his most famous work, praised for its lyrical prose and intimate portrayal of a lifelong passion for surfing. Finnegan's work has had a significant impact on the genre of memoir and nonfiction writing, inspiring readers with his powerful storytelling and insightful reflections on the human experience.