Chess (Penguin Mini Modern Classics)
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Product Description
Product Description
'... a human being, an intellectual human being who constantly bends the entire force of his mind on the ridiculous task of forcing a wooden king into the corner of a wooden board, and does it without going mad!'
A group of passengers on a cruise ship challenge the world chess champion to a match. At first, they crumble, until they are helped by whispered advice from a stranger in the crowd - a man who will risk everything to win. Stefan Zweig's acclaimed novella Chess is a disturbing, intensely dramatic depiction of obsession and the price of genius.
About the Author
Stefan Zweig was born in 1881 in Vienna to a wealthy Austrian-Jewish family. Recognition as a writer came early for Zweig; by the age of forty, he had already won literary fame. In 1934, with Nazism entrenched, Zweig left Austria for England, and became a British citizen in 1940. In 1941 he and his second wife went to Brazil, where they committed suicide. Zweig's best-known works of fiction are Beware of Pity (1939) and The Royal Game (1944), but his most outstanding accomplishments were his many biographies, which were based on psychological interpretation.
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First Sentence
The usual last-minute bustle of activity reigned on board the large passenger steamer that was to leave New York for Buenos Aires at midnight. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
The usual last-minute bustle of activity reigned on board the large passenger steamer that was to leave New York for Buenos Aires at midnight. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
23 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a little gem of a book. I was intrigued the moment I read the blurb and I wasn't disappointed. This is a compelling story told by a master storyteller. The book was written in 1942 while the author was in exile in Brazil. It was completed just days before he committed suicide.
The story centres around an eccentric character who, despite lack of any discernible intellectual prowess, turns out to be a master chess player. On board a ship to Buenos Aires he is challenged to a game by some of the passengers who are curious about his character. All opponents are duly overcome until a mysterious man steps forward to prompt one of the players and it becomes clear that his grasp of the game is enough to defeat the grandmaster. We are then taken into the back story of this character and the secret behind his abilities at the chess board. To say that this is a page turner is a serious understatement. I challenge anyone not to finish it in one go.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Few novellas impress me, but this is a masterpiece of psychological drama. From the outset I was hooked.I wanted to know more about this mysterious chess player, who he is and why he is going to Buenos Aires, but I was also thoroughly gripped by his back story, his predicament, his arrogance, his strategies, his decisions, his slow descent into madness and the reactions of those around him. This is also a mystery story and one that is powerfully told. So much is packed into just 75 pages. I don't think I have ever read anything like it for sheer impact.
This is a classic of German literature but there is nothing that matches it in English either. Unforgettable.
This is a classic of German literature but there is nothing that matches it in English either. Unforgettable.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
You don't have to be a fan of chess to enjoy this addictive little novella. Zweig's tale of the passengers of a cruise ship who challenge a chess grand master to a match is about much more than just a board game. It's a powerful exploration of genius and of the workings of the human mind. Zweig expertly builds tension and I was compelled to read on to find out the outcome of the match.
This edition was published as part of the Mini Modern Classics series celebrating Penguin Modern Classics' 50th anniversary and after this I'm keen to read more both of this and the other shorts in Penguin's collection. This is a great introduction to Zweig for those, like me, who had previously not read this twentieth century master.
This edition was published as part of the Mini Modern Classics series celebrating Penguin Modern Classics' 50th anniversary and after this I'm keen to read more both of this and the other shorts in Penguin's collection. This is a great introduction to Zweig for those, like me, who had previously not read this twentieth century master.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Obsession laid bare
This is more of a short story rather than a novella, 80 or so small pages. It is best read and easily read in one sitting. It is a story of oppression and obsession. Read more
Published 16 days ago by Noel
A masterpiece
This novella is Stefan Zweig at his very best. It is short but powerful and I doubt if anyone could fail to read it through in one sitting. Read more
Published 10 months ago by stilllearning
Spellbinding
A most gripping story written in a spellbinding fashion. I just couldn't put the book down and had to consume it in one go! Read more
Published 23 months ago by Alma Lavandeery
Your move
A cracking little tale in the form of a novella, this takes as its subject obsession - with chess. Passengers embark on a passenger steamer leaving New York for Buenos Aires. Read more
Published on 10 Sep 2009 by Eileen Shaw
A dark, gripping book
I first read Chess: A Novel, in High School and I have loved it ever since. It is extremely difficult to put it down as it delves so much into the human psyche and the power to... Read more
Published on 22 April 2007 by Ms. Emilie Dantreuille
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