Parkour, the art of displacement, or freerunning—whatever the name, this new discipline born in the Paris suburbs is rapidly being adopted by people throughout the world. Not satisfied to suffer through urban life, these athletic artists or artistic athletes want to thrive in it, all the while earning dignity by daringly reappropriating three fundamental motor skills: running, jumping, and climbing. Vincent Thibault explores the philosophical and spiritual aspects of the art of movement and offers ideas on health, sports, urban living, and the relationship between the body and the environment. Reflecting on the culture of effort, he also avoids the misguided notion that depicts parkour as just another of those elitist extreme sports, instead providing a thoughtful, lyrical adventure into martial arts and chivalry in an urban setting.

Vincent Thibault's profile page

Casey Roberts' profile page

Vincent Thibault is the cofounder of the Académie québécoise d'art du déplacement (Quebec Parkour Academy) and the first Quebecer to be a certified instructor in the discipline, for which he trained in France and the United States. He is in close contact with some of the world authorities in parkour, also called freerunning, and is the author of a two collections of short stories, two novels, and two books on philosophy and spirituality. Casey Roberts is a Montreal literary translator originally from the United States and the recipient of a John Glassco Prize awarded by the Canadian Literary Translators Association. He lives in Montreal, Quebec.

“There are very few relevant books on our discipline . . . this is one of the rare books of quality. It is not a manual but instead a clarification on parkour philosophy in which the author addresses themes like freedom, effort, fear, pride, solitude, courage, humor, and important social and community aspects of art.” —Dan Edwardes, director, Parkour Generations and Parkour UK