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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
reflective
tense
"the more one limits oneself, the closer one is to the infinite; these people, as unwordly as they seem, burrow like termites into their own particular material to construct, in miniature, a strange and utterly individual image of the world."
zweig presents a short story where a chess master seemingly meets his match in a mysterious figure whose prowess comes from a mania spurned from a stolen book during his solitary confinement by the nazis. dr b's ability to play blind becomes his weakness, in the same way that czentovic's inability to play the same way and his stubborn demeanour root him in the physical world. first comes zweig's "elegant" (don't know if it's the best word to use, but it was simply and accessibly written yet complex) depiction of psychological torment, to which then one can draw lines of how dangerous obsession can become if someone is completely stripped of the important tools that keeps someone sane in typical society, whether that be the diversity of our friends, of the opinions that surround us, of the people that populate our cities.
although the story is brief, i think there are interesting reflections peeking through on zweig's opinions on each character presented, and how in turn it reflects society when Hitler gained power. the fact that czentovic is consistently painted as obtuse and calculated, lacking in polite manners, and highlighting his meager origins as a peasant in Yugoslavia. contrasted with dr. b's tragic torture, hiding a delicate but brilliant soul that came from a wealthy Austrian family that handled important matters for the Kaiser and the clergy. both ending up as geniuses in the game of chess. with the ending we're left to think who the real winner is or could have been despite or because of the circumstances
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
book 13 out of 75
I loved this so much. It was my first book of Zweig’s that I’ve read, and I am astounded at his ability to fit so much into a 70 page book! I myself am very fond of chess and I love playing it, but this story made me appreciate it on a whole new level. It made me realize all over again how chess is a game of so much detail and such strategy. I didn’t know just how much thought went into a move before making it (in more professional cases of chess).
It was so interesting to read about Dr. B’s and Czentovic’s stories. I honestly want to go play chess now. This book gave me everthing I wanted, evaluating chess at a glance, as a pass-time activity but slowly making the reader realize that it has a world of its own.
So much respect for this author.
(Also, it took me so long to read this because I put it down for two months in between, not because I wasn’t enjoying it, but because I had so many other things to do and some books to read for school and such)
➼ 4.5 stars
"In chess, as a purely intellectual game, where randomness is excluded, - for someone to play against himself is absurd... It is as paradoxical, as attempting to jump over his own shadow."
I loved this so much. It was my first book of Zweig’s that I’ve read, and I am astounded at his ability to fit so much into a 70 page book! I myself am very fond of chess and I love playing it, but this story made me appreciate it on a whole new level. It made me realize all over again how chess is a game of so much detail and such strategy. I didn’t know just how much thought went into a move before making it (in more professional cases of chess).
It was so interesting to read about Dr. B’s and Czentovic’s stories. I honestly want to go play chess now. This book gave me everthing I wanted, evaluating chess at a glance, as a pass-time activity but slowly making the reader realize that it has a world of its own.
So much respect for this author.
(Also, it took me so long to read this because I put it down for two months in between, not because I wasn’t enjoying it, but because I had so many other things to do and some books to read for school and such)
➼ 4.5 stars
dark
reflective
fast-paced
reflective
fast-paced