The Story of Xiangqi · The Invisible Treasure: The Invisible Treasure

Author: Zhang Yushu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-09-01
Features: The Story of Chess is the last novella published by Stefan Zweig in his lifetime. On the surface, the novel tells the story of an amateur international chess player defeating the world chess champion on a steamship traveling from New York to South America. In reality, it depicts the torment and destruction of the human spirit by the Nazi Fascist regime. As a humanist, Zweig used this novella to express his hatred for Nazi Fascism. Through this literary form of resistance, he joined the ranks of the global anti-Fascist alliance. Unfortunately, he did not live to see the final collapse of Fascism. Due to his despair over the situation, he and his wife took their own lives in Brazil in 1942 after learning of Singapore's fall. However, The Story of Chess remains an important anti-Fascist work that continues to be celebrated by later generations. This is perhaps the best solace for Zweig's soul. The Invisible Treasure is a novella that directly and realistically reflects the hardships faced by the people of Austria after World War I, as a result of the economic crisis and the ensuing inflation. Zweig vividly portrays an elderly blind collector who, with great passion, introduces to an art connoisseur the pieces of art he has collected over a lifetime with immense dedication. In reality, however, his family had already sold these artworks during the inflationary period to sustain their livelihood. The old man in his hands were nothing but sheets of white paper. Readers are moved by the old man's unwavering pursuit of art while also deeply feeling the harshness of reality, the actual suffering of the old man's family, and the inexpressible sorrow.