In this personal yet unsentimental memoir, Nobel Laureate Peter Doherty unearths the revealing and unique history of tennis and its ties to culture and nationalism.
For those who look, and think deeply, new connections emerge.
Peter Doherty, one of the world's foremost authorities on immunology, recipient of the Nobel Prize for medicine, and an active and respected commentator on public health, reflects in this book on empire, war and tennis.
Doherty identifies the origins of modern tennis within its imperial context, relating seemingly unlikely connections between the sport, its players and national militaries. He traces the fate of tennis-and its players-as a nascent force for internationalism and cultural tolerance within the context of World War II. And he personalises this account through an unsentimental but revealing depiction of his tennis-loving Queenslander uncles, at war and in captivity in the Pacific.
As Doherty shows, tennis and war have threaded their way through the lives of many people since the nineteenth century, in a way intriguingly unique to this sport.
This is part of Peter's story. And,…
For those who look, and think deeply, new connections emerge.
Peter Doherty, one of the world's foremost authorities on immunology, recipient of the Nobel Prize for medicine, and an active and respected commentator on public health, reflects in this book on empire, war and tennis.
Doherty identifies the origins of modern tennis within its imperial context, relating seemingly unlikely connections between the sport, its players and national militaries. He traces the fate of tennis-and its players-as a nascent force for internationalism and cultural tolerance within the context of World War II. And he personalises this account through an unsentimental but revealing depiction of his tennis-loving Queenslander uncles, at war and in captivity in the Pacific.
As Doherty shows, tennis and war have threaded their way through the lives of many people since the nineteenth century, in a way intriguingly unique to this sport.
This is part of Peter's story. And, as we come to realise, it is also part of the story of our world.
Peter Doherty
Peter Doherty shared the 1996 Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology for discovering the nature of the cellular immune defence. Based at the University of Melbourne, he continues to be involved in research directed at understanding and preventing the severe consequences of influenza virus infection. He has published six books for general readers, including the bestselling The Beginner's Guide to Winning the Nobel Prize.
What the story of tennis can teach us about the narratives of war and imperialism
In this extract from his forthcoming book, Nobel laureate Peter Doherty writes about his family, the great legacy of tennis, and national competition during times of peace and war.
VIDEO: Australian Nobel Laureate and pandemic figurehead releases memoir
Australia's most famous medical scientist and immunologist, Nobel Laureate Professor Peter Doherty, has released his memoir 'Empire, War, Tennis and Me'.