Here, at last, J.P. Donleavy unravels the mysteries of the "Superlative Game"—a game played in chukkas and Clares on a moss-green court with a purple net, port and starboard sections and stern and Plimsoll lines.
De Alfonce Tennis tells the extraordinary story of the Thirteen, who vanished when the luxury motor-yacht Hiyathere disappeared off Long Island on the eve of Pearl Harbor; of the long, lonely battle of the "Fourteenth," Horatio Josiah De Alfonce Adams IV, to save the game now known as De Alfonce Tennis for posterity; of the transatlantic sea voyage which led to the fateful meeting between J.P., the beautiful millionairess Laura, her companion Clare and the drunken and boorish yet charming Lord Charles; and, last but by no means least, of the indomitable work of Lieutenant A.K. Alias of the New York Police Department who for years has been working on the revolutionary theory that the Thirteen are, in fact, alive.
In addition to its history, J.P. Donleavy provides the rules for De Alfonce Tennis, explains the importance of certain undergarments to be worn while playing it, describes the thrill of the nurt and the shame of the el floppo... these and all other necessary details given as the joys of De Alfonce Tennis are presented to you.
Here, at last, J.P. Donleavy unravels the mysteries of the "Superlative Game"—a game played in chukkas and Clares on a moss-green court with a purple net, port and starboard sections and stern and Plimsoll lines.
De Alfonce Tennis tells the extraordinary story of the Thirteen, who vanished when the luxury motor-yacht Hiyathere disappeared off Long Island on the eve of Pearl Harbor; of the long, lonely battle of the "Fourteenth," Horatio Josiah De Alfonce Adams IV, to save the game now known as De Alfonce Tennis for posterity; of the transatlantic sea voyage which led to the fateful meeting between J.P., the beautiful millionairess Laura, her companion Clare and the drunken and boorish yet charming Lord Charles; and, last but by no means least, of the indomitable work of Lieutenant A.K. Alias of the New York Police Department who for years has been working on the revolutionary theory that the Thirteen are, in fact, alive.
In addition to its history, J.P. Donleavy provides the rules for De Alfonce Tennis, explains the importance of certain undergarments to be worn while playing it, describes the thrill of the nurt and the shame of the el floppo... these and all other necessary details given as the joys of De Alfonce Tennis are presented to you.