Theory of Shadows
A Novel
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
The strange circumstances surrounding the death of the world chess champion and alleged Nazi collaborator Alexander Alekhine, as investigated by a literary grand master
On the morning of March 24, 1946, the world chess champion Alexander Alekhine—“sadist of the chess world,” renowned for his eccentric behavior as well as the ruthlessness of his playing style—was found dead in his hotel room in Estoril, Portugal. He was fully dressed and wearing an overcoat, slumped back in a chair, in front of a meal, a chessboard just out of reach. The doctor overseeing the autopsy certified that Alekhine died of asphyxiation due to a piece of meat stuck in his larynx and assured the world that there was absolutely no evidence of suicide or foul play.
Some, of course, have commented that the photos of the corpse look suspiciously theatrical, as though staged. Others have wondered why Alekhine would have sat down to his dinner in a hot room while wearing a heavy overcoat. And what about all these rumors concerning Alekhine’s activities during World War II? Did he really pen a series of articles on the inherent inferiority of Jewish chess players? Can he really be seen in photographs with high-ranking Nazi officials? And as for his own homeland, is it true that the Russians considered him a traitor, as well as a possible threat to the new generation of supposedly superior Soviet chess masters?
With the atmosphere of a thriller, the insight of a poem, and a profound knowledge of the world of chess (“the most violent sport there is,” according to the Russian world champion Garry Kasparov), Paolo Maurensig’s Theory of Shadows leads us through the life and death of Alekhine: not so much trying to figure out whodunit as using the story of one infuriating and unapologetic genius to tease out “that which the novel alone can discover.”
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Italian novelist Maurensig (The Luneberg Variation) returns to the subject of chess for this novel about real-life world champion Alexsander Alekhine, who was born in Moscow and died in March 1946 in Estoril, Portugal, under mysterious circumstances. A brief prologue describes the novelist-narrator's 2012 visit to Estoril to investigate the cause of Alekhine's death reported at different times as heart attack, choking on a piece of meat, suicide, or homicide. The main narrative explores Alekhine's state of mind during his last days, during which, pressed for money and uncertain he can defend his title against a new generation of chess players, he prepares for an upcoming match by studying his opponent's previous games, walking on the beach, and consuming alcohol. Along the way, a Jewish violinist provides music and friendship, despite the fact that while living under Nazi protection Alekhine published anti-Semitic articles (which he later disavowed), and a journalist prompts Alekhine to recall his first tournament victory in at age 16, four failed marriages, and playing against opponents including Grandmaster Capablanca, Trotsky, and Reischminister Hans Frank. When Alekhine receives an envelope containing photographs of his former friends standing among the accused at the Nuremberg trials, he believes someone plans to kill him, but he focuses on what he cares about most: keeping his title. Maurensig evokes a world of betrayal, personal and pervasive throughout Europe, from Ant nio de Oliveira Salazar's secret police to Stalin's Soviet Union. His epilogue offers several theories about Alekhine's death and suggests an ingenious explanation. Maurensig's novel is enjoyable for grandmasters and novices alike.
Customer Reviews
Shadowy murder mystery
You don’t have to understand chess to enjoy a who-dun-it based on the actual shadowy death of the world chess champion.