I read very little in terms of published books this month. But you can guarantee that I read 3 times this amount of books in fanfiction. One day I’ll write an ode to fanfiction writers.
This may be my shortest reading journal!
15. Chess Story by Stefan Zweig
Zweig is an author i see frequently mentioned in the online book spaces, and after April, i needed something different to read because nothing could be as good as what i read in April. Everything was criminally good.
Chess Story follows an unnamed narrator who opens the narrative for everyone else in the book, most notably a chess prodigy named Mirko Czentovic and a formerly Nazi imprisoned doctor named Dr. B. The book is set on a passenger ship where passengers challenge Mirko to a match in which they lose before finally drawing with help from Dr. B who had memorised game play during his imprisonment.
The book subtly focuses on the aftermath of imprisonment and how it affected Dr. B who kept loosing composure and eventually forfeited the game when Mirko would intentionally lengthen play time. It showed to non-traditional players and how missing the basic principles of the game prevented both of them from defending themselves against basic attacks.
I think this book was too random, and worse, too short. It would’ve made more sense with a longer storyline. But the shortness of it is also advantageous in allowing the reader to think about the gaps on their own and fill it. But i still think this book was premature.
16. Beneath the Wheel by Herman Hesse
This is my second time reading a novel by Hesse and once again, i am left in awe. Narcissus and Goldmund still finds me thinking about it on bright days when the trees are vibrant.
Beneath the wheel is about Hans Giebenrath, a boy whose exceptional brightness robs him of a childhood as the adults all around him push him to take the prestigious state exam and go to an elite boarding school. In the first half of the book, you can see Hans begin to wonder at just 14 years old where his childhood went. he looks around and wonders how many springs and summers he missed whilst studying. all he recalls are migraines from the hours of studying and the praise and pressure from his father and teachers. eventually, he takes the exam, passes, and heads to boarding school where he gains friends and loses them. His closest friend is Hermann Heilner, who is the complete opposite of Hans. He is more liberal, more in tune with nature and tries to find meaning int he world. Eventually he is expelled and soon afterward Hans follows in his footsteps, getting expelled as well.
The ending was unexpected and i wish to die so i can box Herman Hesse in the afterlife.
Herman Hesse displays a pattern in his books. Two people, often young boys, who have different values and ways of life will crash into one another. These children are born into a world meant for adults. They have to navigate the world of adults who impose their own expectations onto children. In both books, one child succeeded in this adult world but at a terrible cost and the other chose himself, living a less repressive life.
Hesse has a way of reminding me that I am alive. And that’s ultimately what his characters seek; to be alive. to see the world, and to be of the world. His books hoarsely scream out the importance of letting children be children, of letting them make their own choices.
Coincidentally, both times that I finished Hesse’s books, I was listening to the same song.