Chess Story (also published as Chess or, more poetically, as The Royal Game) is a novella by the Austrian author Stefan Zweig published in 1942. Written in exile in Brazil, Zweig examines Nazism, and he does so with (Penguin Books tells us) "his signature psychological insight". The story is set on a ship from New York to Buenos Aires and features a gripping chess match. This novella would be Zweig's final work. In exile in Brazil and despairing of the future for Europe, he and his wife committed suicide. He had sent the manuscript of Chess Story to his American publisher just days before.

There's a link to a translation on a website dedicated to the author -

http://www.stefanzweig.de/assets/pdfs/schachnovelle_english_complete.pdf - or, if you prefer to listen and because the novella's under 100 pages, there are audiobooks on YouTube etc that run a couple of hours.

At this Christmas session, we'll also choose what we're reading in the first half of next year. See you there!

Do you keep meaning to read more of the great classics? At Wellington Classic Literature Club, we read works that have stood the test of time, whether they were written in 1780, 1880 or even 1980. We meet on the first Tuesday of the month.

RSVP

Bookings essential. Get your free ticket by clicking 'Register' above. Limited places.

If you've signed up, but things change and you're not going to be able to make it along, please email classiclitwgtn@gmail.com as we may be able to make more spaces available for others.

VENUE

We meet in the ‘Games Room’, The Library bar's private area overlooking Courtenay Place. After you enter the bar, head to your right (up the step) and through a smaller space with booths to the large carpeted space beyond (behind the big wooden sliding door).

ABOUT US

Wellington Classic Literature Club has been running for more than a decade - since the start of 2013 - and we have a great bunch of regulars as well as readers who join us for particular books or simply when it suits.