Jerome Charyn was born in the Bronx in 1937. His novel The Green Lantern was one of the five finalists for the 2005 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction and he is the author of more than thirty books. A film professor as well as a novelist and essayist, he is currently Distinguished Professor of Film Studies at the American University of Paris.
In this series of essays, noted prose stylist Charyn (Blue Eyes) examines the game of Ping-Pong. Charyn provides an introduction to the history of the game, depicts its major players ("pongistes") from this century (e.g., Henry Miller), reviews playing styles and techniques, and details the evolution of the game's equipment. He laments the passing of Ping-Pong emporiums from the streets of New York, which he sees as a major factor in the decline in world-class players from the United States in recent years. The writing style is deeply personal as the author, a member of the U.S. Metro Ping-Pong team in Paris, strives to explain the mystique table tennis holds for him and his fellow enthusiasts. For most readers, however, his efforts may be unsuccessful. Ultimately, this is the epitome of a niche publication: it is of potential interest to a small, dedicated population only. For large sports collections. John Maxymuk, Rutgers Univ. Lib., Camden, NJ Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
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