The Royal Game

I first read Stefan Zweig's The Royal Game, along with Amok and Letter From an Unknown Woman, which are included in my Viking Press edition, probably 20 years ago. On re-reading, they remain impressive and perceptive psychological studies. The chess story of the title explores the brain's coping response to isolation; Amok is about flawed and obsessive behavior; and Letter might be the best thing I've read about unrequited love. Through all of the stories, Zweig is able to hook the reader and pull him along, seemingly effortlessly, to a richly satisfying conclusion.