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Chess

A Novel
4.27 goodreads logo

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( 162,524 ratings, 13,263 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Chess by Stefan Zweig is a gripping novella focusing on a psychological duel aboard a ship. It explores the intense interactions between a world chess champion and a mysterious, enigmatic passenger, set against the backdrop of a journey across the Atlantic. This tale brilliantly delves into themes of obsession, the mind's resilience, and the haunting remnants of trauma.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you are drawn to tales of psychological tension and moral dilemmas. Set during a transatlantic voyage, it delves into the fascinating intricacies of the human mind, exploring themes of obsession and mental resilience. This gripping narrative offers a compelling exploration of character and intellect, perfect for fans of introspective and emotionally intense storytelling.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

"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 the past"--

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Introducing Little Clothbound Classics: irresistible, mini editions of short stories, novellas and essays from the world's greatest writers, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith.

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 the past.

Series: Little Clothbound Classics

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  • Chess
    Introducing Little Clothbound Classics: irresistible, mini editions of short stories, novellas and essays from the world's greatest writers, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith. 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...
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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Chess by Stefan Zweig is praised for its masterful storytelling, often being compared to the works of literary giants like Chekhov and Poe. It is celebrated for showcasing Zweig's impressive skill in the short story and novella formats. Considered by some as possibly the best chess story ever written, it resonates as a great achievement of his. The recent English translations have been a delightful discovery for readers, adding to Zweig's recognition as an important literary figure from Vienna’s rich cultural past.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780241630822

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 25 May 2023

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Classics

Contributors:

  • Translated by Anthea Bell
  • Translated by Anthea Bell

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 14.0mm

Width: 117.0mm

Height: 168.0mm

Weight: 159g

Pages: 128

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 Chess (1942), but his most outstanding accomplishments were his many biographies, which were based on psychological interpretation.

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