Customer Reviews

The Royal Game & Other Stories

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I agree with Richard, though I don't know him. I bought the book on the recommendation of a friend, a chess player. I do not play chess, but I devoured the entire book in 3 hours. It shows the enlightenment and benightenment (is that a word?) in all of us, how two people can meet at the same point by totally different ways. You will see it is the way that matters in the end, not who wins. A story of humanity, inhumanity, corruption, innocence. And a very enjoyable read.

Nobody has ever described feelings, the deepest human emotions, like Stefan Zweig did. I think he was the most gifted German language writer, a psychologist as well as a historian and it is a shame that there are not more translations of his work into English available. Forget everything you have ever read before and dive into the world of an obsessed mind in "the Royal game", the turmoil between moral and guilt in "Amok" and the most wonderful and sad story of an unfulfilled love in the "Letter from an unknown woman". This is as good as literature gets, even brilliant when translated from another language. To be able to read more of his work would be a reason for learning German!

If you are new to Zweig then this is for you. All the stories are very engaging and represent the style of writing of that era. I wish I could find more writers like Zweig, alas...
Beware of Pity is also very good. He is probably my favorite writer next to Witkiewicz. Do yourself a favor and get this book.

I bought this work mainly for the 'Royal Game' story because chess fiction is dear to my heart and I collect these kinds of books. I must admit that I loved this story, but I figured since the other stories were there I should give them a fair chance at a read as well. I was really stunned to find out how well Zweig wrote! Now mind you these books are translated - I can only imagine how well the original works must be! Zweig can take regular events and suck you right into the reading and it's really amazing how hard it is to put the book down. A pure genius of the 20th century is all I can say. Please do, enjoy this master's work! Zweig's stories are intended for mature audiences. If you like chess fiction - other books you may want to look at are 'The Queen's Gambit' by Tevis, 'The Luneberg Defense' by Maurensig, 'Alekhine's Anguish' by Yaff, or 'The Chess Team' by Sawaski

This collection of short stories includes some of Zweig's best fiction ever! The author writes in a beautiful, alluring way that pulls the reader into the story. The intensity of the subjects provoke suspenseful emotions in the reader while entertaining and educating about human conditions. His descriptions of emotions are realistic while at the same time heavily weighted by difficult situations that few people encounter. His imagination is incredible!
I have read this book numerous times and it's one of the few books that I dislike lending to others because my attachment to the stories.

One of the best stories in this book is "Amok"( I read it in French, excellent translation, edition livre de poche.)
The outstanding part of "Amok" is the first encounter between the doctor and the cold English woman. There is a tension that keeps building up as you explore those two strong and proud characters.
Their confrontation has something very ambiguous, cold, voluptuous, hard, even cruel. You feel irresistibly drawn to them by the detailed description of every facial expression or gesture.
The climax is an indescribable feeling of violent scorn, a monstrous contempt that shakes you by its intensity, paralyzes you, shocks you like a lightning, and you fall as if being whipped, begging for more, dizzy, bewildered, frightened, mad.
Another tremendous moment is the passage with the madman, the Amok who keeps running without looking left nor right, and exterminating anybody on his path. Absolutely delirious and hilarious!

Zweig is a gripping storyteller and these stories are taut, atmospheric and psychologically astute. Zweig explores the human mind in the grip of obsession, fear, guilt, sexuality and suicide. My favorite of these five stories was "The Burning Secret", a brilliant exploration of the anatomy of the seduction of a married woman, with her young son the implement of the seducer's art. In the process we are shown the inner workings of a child's mind as it becomes aware of the hidden power of sexuality. Each story is gripping and beautifully written.