The Royal Game & Other Stories [Paperback]

Stefan Zweig (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, German (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 211 pages
• Publisher: Holmes & Meier Publishers, Inc. (April 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0841914060
• ISBN-13: 978-0841914063
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #409,512 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What's here is good., July 26, 2002

By 

Angry Mofo "angrymofo" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Royal Game & Other Stories (Paperback)

Zweig was the master of melodrama. Every single work of fiction that he wrote falls neatly into that style, and makes no bones about it. However, his melodramas were gut-wrenching, not sappy; profoundly moving, not sentimental; grief-inducing, not tear-jerking; sad, but not manipulative. Furthermore, his stories had the benefit of not being overlong, and they never dragged or repeated themselves, like his novel Beware of Pity tends to do. This collection contains some of his best work - surely the first and the last stories already are worth the price of admission. "The Royal Game" is a harrowing look at a little-known phenomenon known as "chess fever," an inexplicable but very real affliction, and remains the definitive portrait of same. The last story, "Letter From An Unknown Woman" has to be read to be believed. A Romantic (capital R) story of unrequited, lifelong, hopelessly fixated love, it is as close as Zweig ever came to writing an unadulterated masterpiece. Every word is pure gold. It's one of those things you'll wish you had written - and one that is inexplicably obscure, despite having been made into an American movie in 1948. The other three stories don't quite live up to that standard (and let's face it, few things can), but they're good, "Amok" especially.

However, I must question what was going on in the head of whoever put this book together. What was the basis of the stories' selection? And why was it necessary to limit the book to only five of them? What sort of Zweig collection is it that includes "Fear," but doesn't include "The Invisible Collection," or "Twenty-Four Hours in the Life of a Woman," or "The Sunset of One Heart"? Huh? Huh? As long as you've set out with the noble goal of reprinting the wonderful stories of a sadly ignored author, you might as well do a competent job of it. If this book is supposed to fill the role of a Zweig Greatest Hits, it is woefully incomplete. It's sad, since it seems to be the only such collection in print, and since much of what _is_ in it is truly spectacular.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars JILL SUTCLIFFE VS EDEN & CEDAR PAUL, January 19, 2005

By 

CHI LI - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Royal Game & Other Stories (Paperback)

I love this book, & I carried it wherever I go. Stefan Zweig is the greatest writer I ever known. His stories are so intriguing it's hard to put it down. His writing skills are so lively that even though his books are translated, they are still extraordinary works. But I must point out that in the case of "letter from an unknown woman:, Jill Sutcliffe translated & brought Stefan's work to life so much better than E & C Paul. I have the 2 translations & I have to say Jill is a much better translater in Stefan's work. I love all the stories in this book, & I hope Jill will translate more of his work. His books should be the must read books in class.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book that deserves to be re-printed, September 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Royal Game and Other Stories (Hardcover)

The book is very effective because the whole story takes place in motion. The characters are on a trip from the old world to the new. The world's chess champion represents a conventional old world while the former captive represents the new, trying to break the chains of the old. This is why the closer they get to the new world, the more apparent the expertise of the former captive. And yet, he almost loses his mind - is the old Europe incompatible with the Americas? These contrasts are superbly higlighted via one of the most fascinating sports - chess. The book deserves a re-print.