The Autobiography
作者：Ronnie O’Sullivan
新一屆世界桌球錦標賽於四月舉行，近四屆英格蘭球手沙比贏了三屆，今年錦標又會否是這位「世界一哥」的囊中物？
冠軍誰屬還須拭目以待，但論人氣的話，沙比肯定及不上另一位英格蘭球星奧蘇利雲。這位有「火箭」之稱的球王雖已年屆42歲，但仍狀態大勇，目前世界排名僅次於沙比。記得兩人在去年夏天均有訪港參與表演賽，結果入場門券一票難求，相信大部分香港球迷「撲飛」都是為了一睹「火箭」風采。
不說不知，原來奧蘇利雲已經出版了兩部小說，以明星級運動員來說堪稱一株奇葩。而自傳，他也寫過兩本——第一本出版於2004年，封面的他啣著香煙，壞孩子個性可謂表露無遺。今次要介紹的，則是出版於2014年的第二本自傳Running。
Run在英語中含義甚豐，對奧蘇利雲桌球以外生活不甚清楚的讀者，未必會想到他所指的原來確是「跑步」。奧蘇利雲是個跑痴，參加路跑賽事也曾奪獎，以業餘水平來說非常不錯。他認為自己是個不能「無癮」的人。面對壓力，他曾選擇之酒精毒品麻醉自己，後來迷上跑步才逃出生天。
身為桌球手，他當然有細述幾年間職業生涯的起伏，當中不乏談及比賽中途意興闌珊而突然離席以及試圖故意不打出147度的種種「經典場面」。特別的是，他在書中用了不少篇幅談跑步，甚至不免令人覺得他其實愛跑步更甚於桌球。不信的話，請君不妨翻閱這本頗為另類的一代球王自傳。
Running: The Autobiography
by Ronnie O’Sullivan
The 2018 World Snooker Championship will be held in April. British snooker player Mark Selby has taken three champion titles in four years. While who will win this year’s champion’s trophy is anyone’s guess, what we do know is that Selby’s popularity is clearly not on par with another British snooker player, the 42-year-old Ronnie O’Sullivan, whose world ranking is just behind that of Selby’s and who is still in good physical condition despite his age.
O’Sullivan has published two works of fiction and two autobiographies. The book we are introducing this time is his second autobiography entitled Running.
O’Sullivan is an amateur running enthusiast who has clocked up some awards in a number of road races. He used to rely on drugs and alcohol to keep him going in the face of various pressures but was able to beat his addictions ever since he started taking up running.
In this book, he recounts his ups and downs during his professional life, including “unforgettable” moments like walking away from a game as a result of losing his patience and refusal to complete a 147 break. Much of the book’s content is devoted to running, which may give readers the feeling that he loves running more than snooker. Give this book a try and find out for yourself.
蝦叔 