The Legend of Bagger Vance : A Novel of Golf and the Game of Life

From Publishers Weekly
Improbable as it may sound, this allegorical first novel by an L.A. screenwriter reads like an F. Scott Fitzgerald scholar reciting a medley culled from the Bhagavadgita, Huck Finn and The Tempest: it has gray-flannel charm, a thick vein of mysticism, homespun homilies and an encroaching storm. In 1931, a mythical golf match is arranged between the legendary Bobby Jones and the fabled Walter Hagen to promote-amid the deprivation of the Depression-a luxurious golf resort on an island near Savannah, Ga. To rally financial support from the hard-hit local money boys, former hometown golf champ Rannulph Junah, agrees to participate in the match. A somewhat degenerate aristocrat, Junah has been traveling the world in search of meaning ever since his experience in the Great War. The man whom Junah calls "my mentor and boon companion" is Bagger Vance, a charismatic Eastern mystic, who is black. The tournament attracts a multitude of celebrities from all over the world; it's a heroic 36-hole battle of the titans that takes place during the course of one fateful, stormy day. For Junah, the struggle is not to conquer his opponents, the elements or the daunting golf links-the conflict resides within himself. Vance helps him find his Authentic Swing-which is, of course, a metaphor for self-discovery. The novel is given the feel of a teaching by its frame, in which the wizened narrator-a septuagenarian surgeon and former golf champ who, as a 10-year-old caddy, witnessed the event-relates the tale to a burnt-out medical student in order to pass on the wisdom of Bagger Vance. Although the prose occasionally strays into the rough, this is a thoroughly beguiling little fable. 50,000 first printing; $60,000 ad/promo; film rights to Jake Eberts. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From School Library Journal
YA?Elderly Hardison L. Greaves describes a memorable golf match he witnessed as a child in the 1930s to a medical student who is nearing burn-out. In the match, golf-great Bobby Jones plays Walter Hagen; to generate local support, World War I hero Rannulph Junah is asked to participate. He declines at first, but then his companion, Bagger Vance, offers to caddy for him. It becomes apparent that Vance is more than a companion; he is the man's mentor and spiritual advisor. Although looked upon with disdain by the golfers and spectators, Vance, who is black, counsels Junah to look for his Authentic Swing. The symbolism is apparent; Junah finds not only his golf swing, but also himself. Pressfield's story will be of interest to students. Its mysticism promotes thought, and golf references are simple enough for nonplayers.?Diane Goheen, Topeka West High School, KSCopyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
The message of this parable is that golf is like life and that both can be inspired by New Age beliefs about man and the cosmos. The incarnation of divine knowledge, black, middle-aged Bagger Vance, is the caddie and mentor of war hero and former champion amateur golfer, Rannulph Junah. The year is 1931, and, as a publicity stunt for the opening of a new Savannah golf course, Junah tees off against Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen in an exhibition match. Junah plays poorly during the first few holes, but under Vance's tutelage he changes his game and his life. This first novel is saved from pretentiousness by the engaging voice of its narrator, an old man who was with Vance and Junah on that memorable day and who is now recalling what happened as he tries to convince a young friend to remain in medical school. His voice not only coaxes the reader into suspending disbelief but also transforms the game of golf into an exciting adventure. For most popular collections.Charles Michaud, Turner Free Lib., Randolph, Mass.Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.


The New York Times Book Review
"Good stuff. . .a philosophical fantasy imagined on a golf course, heavy with fog, storm, fireworks, and howling winds of supernatural forces."


The Los Angeles Times
Pressfield's story is a dazzler and a thought provoker.


From AudioFile
Most people either love golf, or it bores them to death. Regardless of which category applies, every listener should enjoy Pressfield's novel about a 1931 golf match between Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen, with local war hero Rannulph Junah as the third competitor. Bagger Vance, Junah's friend, mentor, and caddie, is the key to the match because Vance holds the secret to the perfect swing and life's other contemplations. Barrett Whitener's reading evokes the sense of life in this Georgia town, its good and bad. What makes this book special is the way Whitener transfers this page-turner into a performance the listener never wants to stop. The book and movie received excellent reviews; this rendition adds to those well-deserved kudos. D.J.S. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


Publishers Weekly
...thoroughly beguiling.


Through the Green (official publication of the British Golf Collectors Society)
...a first class golf story with the personalities of Hagen, Jones, Grantland Rice and O.B. Keeler drawn to perfection...highly recommended.


Book Page
The only golf novel ever written that earns 'couldn't put it down' accolades.


Booklist
...genuine insight into the mysteries of the swing and the special talents of Jones and Hagen. Golfers will want to read [this] book.


Sports Illustrated
...splendid...As a page turner Bagger Vance is a success, climbing to an uplifting conclusion on a well-constructed scaffold of suspense.


Pat Hurst, U.S. Women's Amateur Champion (1990); winner of the 1998 Dinah Shore Tournament
I loved The Legend of Bagger Vance. I couldn't put it down until the final putt dropped. It's a wonderful story, beautifully told.


Patty Sheehan, U.S. Women's Open Champion, 1992 and 1994; member of the LPGA Hall of Fame
Reading The Legend of Bagger Vance was truly a delight. The mystical, magical storytelling ability of Steven Pressfield came to life for me. Even now when I play in professional tournaments I think of the positive effect Bagger Vance had on everyone associated with him. He will be with me for many years to come.


The late Harvey Penick, author of Harvey Penick's Little Red Book and If You Play Golf, You're My Friend
Anyone who can imagine a match such as this one must love golf. And that makes Steve Pressfield my friend.


Book Description
The time: 1931. The place: the golf links at Krewe Island off Savannah's windswept Atlantic shore. The event: a mesmerizing thirty-six-hole match in which Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen, legends of golf in their own time, are joined by an unsung opponent, the troubled war hero Rannulph Junah. The key to the outcome lies not with these titans of the game but with Bagger Vance, a caddie who carries the secret of the Authentic Swing. His mysterious powers guide the play and leave a lasting imprint, not only on the lives he touches on that day so long ago, but also--sixty years later--on the future of a brilliant but discouraged young medical student.Once in a great while comes a book different from all the rest. You long to compare it to something great that went before, and yet no comparison truly holds. Such is The Legend of Bagger Vance. Readers have likened it to Bernard Malamud's The Natural or to Golf in the Kingdom, they mystical classic by Michael Murphy. Although Steven Pressfield's work has a kindship with both, it is a true original, a page turner, a spellbinder, an inspiration for golfers and nongolfers alike--a story in which the search for the Authentic Swing becomes a metaphor for the search for the Authentic Self.


Buy from Amazon     Compare Prices

I loved The Legend of Bagger Vance. I couldn't put it down until the final putt dropped. It's a wonderful story, beautifully told.  — (Pat Hurst, US Women's Amateur Champion (1990); winner of the 1998 Dinah Shore Tournament)


Buy from Barnes & Noble     Compare Prices