The Story of Xiangqi

Author: (Austria) Stefan Zweig
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-07-02
Features: The Castle of the Prince is the last novella published by Zweig during his lifetime. On the surface, the story tells of an amateur chess player on a steamship traveling from New York to South America who defeats the World Chess Champion. In reality, it portrays the torment and destruction of the human soul by Nazi fascism. As a humanist, Zweig expressed his hatred for Nazi fascism through this novel. By employing 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 state of affairs, he and his wife took their own lives with poison in Brazil in 1942 after learning of Singapore's fall. However, The Castle of the Prince continues to be celebrated as an important anti-fascist work, passed down by later generations. This serves as the best possible solace for Zweig's soul.