…excellent literary thriller…beautifully told by Bennett…This is a compelling portrait of a highly civilized society as it approached one of history's great upheavals. By the end of the story, the apolitical Spethmann must confront the realities of his world: "When things reach this pitch we are all in zugzwang. Past wrongs will not be forgiven. Rage and numbers will tell." I happened to watch Gillo Pontecorvo's classic film "The Battle of Algiers" while I was reading Zugzwang. The movie and novel make the same point: There are moments when the tides of history will not be denied.
The Washington Post
Zugzwang: A chess term used to describe a position in which a player is reduced to utter helplessness-he is obliged to move, but every move serves to make his position even worse.
The year is 1914, and St. Petersburg is spellbound by the international chess championship, even as the city seethes with revolutionary plots. One blustery April day, a respected newspaper editor is murdered in front of a shocked crowd. Five days later, Dr. Otto Spethmann, the celebrated psychoanalyst, receives a visit from the police. There has been another murder in the city-and somehow he is implicated.*The doctor is mystified and deeply worried, as much for his young, spirited daughter as for himself.*
Meanwhile, he finds himself preoccupied by two new patients: Anna Petrovna, a society beauty plagued by nightmares with whom he is inappropriately falling in love, and the troubled genius Rozental, a brilliant but fragile chess master on the verge of a complete breakdown. As Dr. Spethmann is drawn deeper into the murderous intrigue, he finds that he, his patients, and his daughter may all be pawns in a game larger in scope than anything he could have imagined. Thrilling, romantic, and rife with intrigue both on the chessboard and off, Zugzwang is a masterpiece of literary suspense.
1100405753
The year is 1914, and St. Petersburg is spellbound by the international chess championship, even as the city seethes with revolutionary plots. One blustery April day, a respected newspaper editor is murdered in front of a shocked crowd. Five days later, Dr. Otto Spethmann, the celebrated psychoanalyst, receives a visit from the police. There has been another murder in the city-and somehow he is implicated.*The doctor is mystified and deeply worried, as much for his young, spirited daughter as for himself.*
Meanwhile, he finds himself preoccupied by two new patients: Anna Petrovna, a society beauty plagued by nightmares with whom he is inappropriately falling in love, and the troubled genius Rozental, a brilliant but fragile chess master on the verge of a complete breakdown. As Dr. Spethmann is drawn deeper into the murderous intrigue, he finds that he, his patients, and his daughter may all be pawns in a game larger in scope than anything he could have imagined. Thrilling, romantic, and rife with intrigue both on the chessboard and off, Zugzwang is a masterpiece of literary suspense.
Zugzwang
Zugzwang: A chess term used to describe a position in which a player is reduced to utter helplessness-he is obliged to move, but every move serves to make his position even worse.
The year is 1914, and St. Petersburg is spellbound by the international chess championship, even as the city seethes with revolutionary plots. One blustery April day, a respected newspaper editor is murdered in front of a shocked crowd. Five days later, Dr. Otto Spethmann, the celebrated psychoanalyst, receives a visit from the police. There has been another murder in the city-and somehow he is implicated.*The doctor is mystified and deeply worried, as much for his young, spirited daughter as for himself.*
Meanwhile, he finds himself preoccupied by two new patients: Anna Petrovna, a society beauty plagued by nightmares with whom he is inappropriately falling in love, and the troubled genius Rozental, a brilliant but fragile chess master on the verge of a complete breakdown. As Dr. Spethmann is drawn deeper into the murderous intrigue, he finds that he, his patients, and his daughter may all be pawns in a game larger in scope than anything he could have imagined. Thrilling, romantic, and rife with intrigue both on the chessboard and off, Zugzwang is a masterpiece of literary suspense.
The year is 1914, and St. Petersburg is spellbound by the international chess championship, even as the city seethes with revolutionary plots. One blustery April day, a respected newspaper editor is murdered in front of a shocked crowd. Five days later, Dr. Otto Spethmann, the celebrated psychoanalyst, receives a visit from the police. There has been another murder in the city-and somehow he is implicated.*The doctor is mystified and deeply worried, as much for his young, spirited daughter as for himself.*
Meanwhile, he finds himself preoccupied by two new patients: Anna Petrovna, a society beauty plagued by nightmares with whom he is inappropriately falling in love, and the troubled genius Rozental, a brilliant but fragile chess master on the verge of a complete breakdown. As Dr. Spethmann is drawn deeper into the murderous intrigue, he finds that he, his patients, and his daughter may all be pawns in a game larger in scope than anything he could have imagined. Thrilling, romantic, and rife with intrigue both on the chessboard and off, Zugzwang is a masterpiece of literary suspense.
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Editorial Reviews
Product Details
BN ID: | 2940169439670 |
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Publisher: | Penguin Random House |
Publication date: | 10/30/2007 |
Edition description: | Unabridged |
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