By Stephanie Kent
Nearly fifty years after Muhammad Ali and George Foreman met in Kinshasa, Zaire, Taschen pays homage to Rumble in the Jungle with a special edition of Norman Mailer The struggle.
This edition takes Mailer’s account of the boxing match and presents it with photography by renowned sports photographer Neil Leifer and Ali Howard L. Bingham’s biographer; The result is a great update to the original book and reads like a treasure trove of boxing images and combat artifacts.
The photography section of the book – mainly photos by Leifer and Bingham, with many supporting works by other photojournalists – spanned the entire event. Descriptions include parades in Zaire, a quiet moment before a fight in the locker room and local children clasping hands in front of out-of-focus battle posters in the background.
This edition of The struggle also rely on the unique monuments of the event. Readers will find illustrations by other heavyweights along with their outcome predictions, copies of war-inspired paintings, and original red ink edits to the original manuscript. .
Read The struggle linear and you’ll find an abridged version of Norman Mailer’s 1975 book, with supporting photographs from Leifer and Bingham, along with moments captured from other photojournalists. Snapshots from pre-battle press conferences and newspaper clippings set a timely tone with Mailer’s original articles. However, in true Taschen form, The struggle also beneficial for a more casual reading process. You can feel the excitement of the fight by randomly opening the book and landing on the beautiful two pages of Ali and Foreman in the ring or the image of the pennant made to celebrate their victory. Ali or a photo of dozens of press badges for the event.
The excitement of the anticipation and the joy of the contest depicted in these pages is completely contagious; Modern boxing aficionados will no doubt crave a match of this caliber in their lifetime, but it is a pleasure to enjoy the exhibition through this book’s exquisite selection.
More than forty years after its original publication, The struggle can still give fans goosebumps on the back of their necks. Mailer captures both the night of the battle and the delicate moments in the Ali and Foreman camps leading up to October 30, 1974, and Taschen’s addition of manuscript pages, behind-the-scenes photos and other combat artifacts. make the event come alive all the time. The book is a piece of boxing history, artistically rendered and any boxing fan would be proud to have on display on their coffee table.
