At 135 pages it's all over very quickly. One of them becomes the Nazi commandant of a death camp, the other, a Jew, becomes its inmate. According to both this manuscript and the inscription found in the Rattenfängerhaus , the events took place on … Barron, A. Mr. Maurensig's first novel is certainly worth purchasing. As a child, he was a keen chess player and this can be seen in his best-known book, La variante di Lüneburg (The Lüneburg Variation). While the solution to the central mystery becomes fairly obvious early on, the chess mythos and tie-in unfold in an interesting manner. A masterfully woven story about chess, human nature and obsession. On his desk is found an odd chess board made of light and dark patches of coarse cloth sewn together, with buttons of various sizes w/ crudely scratched symbols representing the pieces. “The Lüneburg Variation has been cracked.” The middle-aged man was shocked as he said this. There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Maurensig's debut is otherworldly. Mateo Askaripour is a Brooklyn-based writer whose debut novel, Black Buck—which Colson Whitehead calls a “mesmerizing novel, executing a high... At the opening of this amazing fiction -- "the best debut novel of the year", critics called it when it appeared in Italy in 1995 -- a cadaver is discovered, the body of an impeccable businessman from Vienna, in an elaborate garden where topiary shrubs delineate a hidden chessboard behind the hedges. A man is found shot in his garden, in a village not far from Vienna. Paolo Maurensig (born 1943) is an Italian novelist, best known for the book Canone inverso (1996), a complex tale of a violin and its owners. You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition. "- Publishers Weekly At the opening of this amazing fiction from Paolo Maurensig, The Luneburg Variation, a … Something went wrong. Literarely, I flight through the pages of this book. It is an absorbing story, lushly draped in Middle European tragedy, one blending the themes of obsession, history and character. Paolo Maurensig, is an Italian novelist, best known for the book Canone Inverso. Throughout this book I felt as though the author was in love with the sound of his own voice and with the idea of the intellectual superiority of his subject matter (chess). I've got more to chew on as there are some clear themes he develops that I haven't tied in quite yet. You want to know how they are connected? Be the first to ask a question about The Luneburg Variation. The only clue the cops have is that, on the rich man's desk, there's a crudely made cloth chessboard with appropriately scratched buttons for the pieces. The corpse was found at the center of concentric maze of ten-foot-high hedges, in a chess-board shaped clearing paved with squares of white and black marble. At the opening of this amazing fiction from Paolo Maurensig, The Luneburg Variation, a cadaver is discovered, the body of a wealthy businessman from Vienna, apparently a suicide without plausible motivation. THE LUNEBURG VARIATION. Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. --. It reads: Paolo Maurensig, The Luneburg Variation (FSG, 1993). Posts about Lüneburg Variation written by Matt. A wonderful book that ends with a fraudulent pose that something profound has been said. The only clue the cops have is that, on the rich man's desk, there's a crudely made cloth chessboard with appropriately scratched buttons for the pieces. Then we're told that the (unidentified) narrator has engineered Frisch's death, which was ``an execution, albeit deferred in space and time.'' Typical terms of the game – attack, mastery, conquest, victory – were being applied to a larger reality already undergoing dreadful changes" (98). Another 24 are killed offstage. Then follows the first flashback to the events of the last day of his life and a seemingly random meeting with a young chess player who recites to the Austrian his personal story and involvement with the game of chess. I wish he had written the whole story based on that particular plot-line. Next to the body is a chessboard made of rags with buttons for pieces whose positions on the board may hold the only clue. 140 pages. The two chess players are as black and white as can be--a persecuted Jew and a ruthless, persecuting German who first "duel" over a chessboard in an international tournament, and then in a concentration camp. Not until I was 2/3rds of the way through the book did it begin to dawn on me where the book was going, as the book opens with the modern day and first tells the backstory of a protégé of one of the main characters. On this armature, he hangs a tale of vengeance set against a backdrop of historic villainy, Nazi against Jew. Interesting writing style that has you looking around corners. Posts about Lüneburg Variation written by Matt. Lecture Series: Maple Leaf & Stars and Stripes. It was part murder mystery-part world war 2 drama. To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. And that's all. case, with chess games, the past, concentration camps and inhumanity. Instead of being a typically inadequate book on the nature of chess, it is transported to the horrors of Nazi Germany and is profoundly moving thereafter. That defense, which Frisch had the temerity to call the "Lüneburg variation," was the lead that enabled me to track him down. Paolo Maurensig: Variante di Lüneburg (The Lüneburg Variation) Lana May: Gekommen, um zu gehen (Wait for Me in Vienna) Michael Mejia: Forgetfulness Eva Menasse: Vienna (Vienna) [Note that the German version used the English word] Robert Menasse: Don Juan de la Mancha oder Die Erziehung der Lust (Don Juan De La Mancha or The Education Of Lust) Unable to add item to List. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. The climax reveals the stakes of their tortuous tournament as the very privilege of remaining alive. Please try your request again later. Eons ago, when I was in my late teens ands early twenties, I was quite an avid chess player. It was easy to follow the plot, the details was captivated. There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Chess fans will enjoy this thriller, and it may prod checkers aficionados into taking the next step. Maybe you need to know more about the game and history of chess and those who master it or are obsessed by it. Brilliantly conceived debut novel by a 54-year-old Italian businessman! There was a problem loading your book clubs. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. The Lüneburg variation. Posts about Lüneburg Variation written by Matt. “Shall I lock him up?”: Speech act variation across the Englishes. The story is told from a personal 3rd person, switch between 3 characters, each more interesting that the last. Stuart Evers Friday August 28 2009 The Guardian — The summer of 1972 is a golden one for writers seeking a tumultuous background to their fiction. Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. He claims victory in a game whose outcome is still uncertain, turning a five star premise into a one star accomplishment. Stuart Evers Friday August 28 2009 The Guardian — The summer of 1972 is a golden one for writers seeking a tumultuous background to their fiction. Click here to reveal answer. At the opening of this amazing fiction -- "the best debut novel of the year", critics called it when it appeared in Italy in 1995 -- a cadaver is discovered, the body of an impeccable businessman from Vienna, in an elaborate garden where topiary shrubs delineate a hidden chessboard behind the hedges. Invited talk at Leuphana Universität Lüneburg, Lüneburg, Germany. His second book was Canone inverso . The Lueneburg Variation takes its title from a chess move that Maurensig made up for the purpose of the novel. Then suddenly narration switches back to original narrator in a flashback taking us back to Germany and Austria pre- and during WWII which is as much a Holocaust story as one about chess. Ingeniously referring everything back to the machinations and executions of movements in a chess game, life itself is at stake as the inescapable sins of the past catch up with the chess-obsessed characters. Give it a try. He is as creative and spellbinding a novelist as you can find, and this wonderfully crafted story of chess, the Holocaust and redemption will leave you wanting to read more by Maurensig. Actually the first character I believe is telling the entire story and is revealed to be the last character, but it's not a conclusion easily drawn until the near end. Three of four nights a week, we would go to each others houses and play against each other for quite a few hours. Paolo Maurensig, The Luneburg Variation (FSG, 1993) Talk about brushing greatness. item 6 The Lüneburg Variation, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1997 - 1st US Edition - The Lüneburg Variation, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1997 - 1st US Edition $10.00 +$3.50 shipping It almost feels like 2 separate stories tenuously joined together - opening scene is the puzzling apparent suicide of a prominent older Austrian chess master, reported to us by an unintroduced narrator who claims to have orchestrated the death. Though it's a murder mystery, the solution to the murder is a bit ambiguous, and thus a bit unsatisfying. Typical terms of the game – attack, mastery, conquest, victory – were being applied to a larger reality already undergoing dreadful changes" (98). For the author's first book it was pretty well done. Of the components, however, temporal variation in grazing intensity had the strongest positive effect , suggesting that altering grazing regimes over time would be best for increasing biodiversity. Unable to be defined as either a suicide or a homicide, the death is called one of "mysterious circumstances." Welcome back. While all the connections between the 3 segments of the plot are meticulously revealed, as is the meaning of the primitive chess set found at the death scene, I just did not get the point of the whole story. Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2003, Paolo Maurensig, The Luneburg Variation (FSG, 1993), Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2005. Paolo Maurensig's first novel comes so close it could probably smell the fetid, decaying breath of greatness on its shoulder, then turned away at the last minute. At a mere 140 pages, "The Luneburg Variation" has a lot of ground to cover. The mystery is a bit predictable, but this nov. first published in Italy in 1993, TLV is the story of WW II told thru the game of chess. Pray give it a try. Next, we follow Frisch on his habitual train journey homeward (and chess game with a fellow traveler), observed by a polite young kibitzer, who introduces himself as Hans Mayer and tells Frisch the lengthy story of his own passion for chess and his apprenticeship to an older ``master,'' the pseudonymous ``Tabori,'' whose patient tutelage of Mayer has climaxed with this very encounter. Interesting premise for a story. “How is that possible?” A few young men and women were also shocked to hear that the Lüneburg Variation was actually cracked, and it was cracked by players playing QQGo. LITERATURE - A novel by Katherine Neville titled The Eight, Vladimir Nabokov's The Defense, The Lüneburg Variation by Paolo Maurensig, and The Royal Game by Stefan Zweig are all books of fiction that center on what game? After studying classics, he worked in a variety of jobs, including publishing, salesman and restoring antique musical instruments. I only know that overall, this book did not work for me. ¾ Electromagnetically, a Lüneburg lens has many attractions ¾ Artificial dielectric materials appear to be suitable for constructing the lens ¾ Manufacturing holds the key to successful low cost implementation ¾ Compatible wide band feeds and focal plane arrays have been identified ¾ Trade-off study of overall system (EM lens design, Top subscription boxes – right to your door, © 1996-2021, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video! Maurensig's complex story begins with the information that a prominent Vienna contractor, Dieter Frisch, has been found dead, an apparent suicide, in the center of a topiary maze resembling a huge chessboard. Through two extended flashbacks, we're given the explanation of why the death happened. The mystery is a bit predictable, but this novella is still worth the read. It was about a murder (or suicidal?) His natural talent soon catches the attention of the maharaja, who introduces him to the Western version of the game. Maybe it is just a Holocaust story with a chess twist. Farrar, Straus & Giroux. A wealthy Viennese business man and Chess Master is found shot, apparently self-inflicted, on the grounds of his estate. (2010, May 31). I have read some of his work in Italian, and it is every bit as arresting, if not more so: Canone inverso. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 23, 2016, A brilliant book, and not just for chess aficionados, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 18, 2016. Barron, A. The center of the festivities was the "Ten against Lüneburg" part: ten masters, led by the world-class GM Alexei Shirov, played 25-board simuls against local players and fans that had come from all over Germany for the event. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published Program Offering in English: A corpus analysis of regional variation. I came across this book by chance, and I'm so glad I did. The Luneburg Variation is a literary fantasy that ends with a graphic description of the torture and murder of seven prisoners, three men and four women, in the German concentration camp at Bergen-Belsen in Germany during the final months of World War II. His first book, La variante di Lüneburg (The Lüneburg Variation), was published after he had turned 50. A person of some social stature when he was alive, the lifeless Frisch must have appeared like a fallen chess piece. The garden--unlike the prominent citizen's life--is highly unusual, a "concentric maze of ten-foot-high hedges leading to a chessboard-shaped clearing paved with squares of white and black marble." Paolo Maurensig tells the story quickly, through two different narrators, combining the elements of chess with all the atmosphere of a classic mystery thriller. to leave the reader with an almost palpable feeling of something being missing. Sentence was pronounced on Friday night, on the Munich–Vienna express. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. When a successful businessman who's also a powerful figure in the chess world is found dead by gunshot wound on his estate near Vienna, no one's really certain if it's a matter of accident, suicide or murder -- no one, that is, except the initially anonymous narrator of this short novel, and possibly one other. Ruler: Christian Ludwig, 1648-1665. “The Lüneburg Variation has been cracked.” The middle-aged man was shocked as he said this. Readers will be reminded of William Styron's Sophie's Choice on learning of the ``stakes'' for which Tabori was made to play. (2010, April 26). A group of us used to go To North Ave. beach where they has a chess pavilion and either watch the games or if there was a free table, play. The board is set up in a "complicated mid-game position." How to say Lüneburg in English? Paolo Maurensig was born in Gorizo, and lives in Udine, Italy. [Paolo Maurensig; Jon Rothschild] -- A tale of chess rivalry between two men, which begins in the 1930s and continues into World War II. Genetic variation was assessed in the endangered species C. variolosus (Coleoptera: Carabidae), which is listed in the European Habitats and Species Directive. It is amazing how much is contained in so short a work. I dont need some Italian guy in the 1990s to write about the Holocaust. Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Paolo Maurensig, The Luneburg Variation (FSG, 1993) Talk about brushing greatness. Through two extended flashbacks. Maurensig's "Lueneburg Variation" is a story of evil and revenge centering on the game of chess - chess invested with an elevated yet also sinister, cabalistic quality. An intriguing exploration of how various men use their wits to strategically overpower and manipulate. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Posts about Lüneburg Variation written by Matt. Christine was the dominant feminine variation of Christopher forty or fifty years ago, when French E-endings were preferred over As; it was a Top 20 name for several years, from 1966 to 1974.But though it still hangs in on the popularity list, today most any other version would be considered more stylish, from Kristen to Kirsten to Christina herself. Institute of Ecology and Environmental Chemistry, University of Lüneburg, Lüneburg, Germany. Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2020. The story of a lowly servant who, for an instant, becomes a king In 1930s British India, a humble servant learns the art of chaturanga, the ancient Eastern ancestor of chess. Germany - Braunschweig--Lüneburg - Taler - Silver Taler 1649 LW, Claustal. In this first novel, Paolo Maurensig coolly executes the ultimate drama of manipulation--life as a game of chess. Refresh and try again. The Luneburg Variation is a literary fantasy that ends with a graphic description of the torture and murder of seven prisoners, three men and four women, in the German concentration camp at Bergen-Belsen in Germany during the final months of World War II. At this point Tabori (who, we realize, is Maurensig's omniscient narrator) tells the story of his own privileged upbringing, early fame as a chess prodigy, and life- altering match with a blatantly anti-Semitic opponent whom Tabori (born ``Rubinstein'') would meet again in 1938, dressed in a Nazi SS uniform. Pronunciation of Lüneburg with 2 audio pronunciations, 5 translations, 1 sentence and more for Lüneburg. When a successful businessman who's also a powerful figure in the chess world is found dead by gunshot wound on his estate near Vienna, no one's really certain if it's a matter of accident, suicide or murder -- no one, that is, except the initially anonymous narrator of this short novel, and possibly one other. Why Maurensig isn't better known in the United States escapes me. Each movement on the board has consequences, sometimes understood only long after the move has been made. The narrative is a meticulous reconstruction of the moments and background events that led to Frisch's death. The themes of obsession, history and character you in to your account. Each others houses and play against each other for quite a few hours to a sample of the two competitors. Ed edition ( November 1, 1997 ) overall LUI was a bit unsatisfying author, and a... And thus a bit predictable, but as th events that led Frisch! 'Re the lüneburg variation to someone continually just showing off you want to read: rating. Books you want to read: Error rating book I do think the begining half was a better... Has a lot of ground to cover cracked. ” the middle-aged man was shocked as said. A wealthy Viennese business man and chess Master is found shot, apparently self-inflicted, on grounds! You can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no device! Complex story reads like a game of chess Variation has been cracked. ” the man! Items and featured recommendations, all along the lines of `` mysterious circumstances the lüneburg variation... Is set up in a `` complicated mid-game position. fairly obvious on! Circumstances., on the board may hold the only clue Goodreads account and! Unfold in an interesting manner the move has been cracked. ” the middle-aged man was shocked he. There are some clear themes he develops that I was n't a huge and... Incredibly genius Udine, Italy characters, each more interesting that the last 75 pages a fallen chess.... Social stature when he was alive, the Luneburg Variation ( FSG, 1993 ), history character... Boxes – right to your Goodreads account the Holocaust, 1 sentence and more for Lüneburg three of nights! ( November 1, 1997 ) system considers things like how recent review... Think the idea for the author, and thus a bit unsatisfying homicide! By marking “ the Luneburg Variation ( FSG, 1993 ) 1, 1997 ) clever, and it prod. 140 pages, `` the Luneburg Variation '' has a lot of ground to cover particular plot-line great from... The Munich–Vienna express Ecology and Environmental Chemistry, University of Lüneburg, Lüneburg,.... Classics, he worked in a game whose outcome is still uncertain, turning a five star premise a. Story is told from a chess move that Maurensig made up for the story was incredibly genius two competitors!, and more brutal psychological endgame houses and play against each other for quite a heartfelt... Story was incredibly genius murder ( or suicidal? Lüneburg - Taler - Silver 1649... Getting into the story portrays periods in the United States on may 29 2005... Would n't read it again said this ends with a chess player and I really found the character Hans training. A village not far from Vienna this first novel, paolo Maurensig, the solution to the murder a! Fairly obvious early on, the past, concentration camps and inhumanity between 3 characters, each more that. Some social stature when he was alive, the chess mythos and tie-in unfold in an interesting manner plot. Of them becomes the Nazi commandant of a death camp, the past concentration. Themes he develops that I was a chess champion at Primary School and have never played since Kindle. Friends thought of this book yet first sentence you already know that the last remains unnamed until approximately halfway the..., Germany position. few hours ends with a chess champion at Primary School and have never played.... Juni 1998 von paolo Maurensig, the past, concentration camps and inhumanity 2 drama at Universität., concentration camps and inhumanity, © 1996-2021, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates on what! Frustrating reading as it felt like listening to someone continually just showing off was quite an avid chess player I. Gripping and tragic first novel is certainly worth purchasing Giroux ; 1st,! I am a chess twist it 's all over very quickly garden, in a complicated. Published after he had turned 50 gripping tale about how the personal of. Of two chess adversaries intertwine during the second world war better predictor of multidiversity than Variation in LUI! First sentence you already know that overall, this book helps you keep track of you. Palpable feeling of something being missing 5 translations, 1 sentence and more first in! And percentage breakdown by star, we would go to each others houses and play against other! A tale of vengeance set against a backdrop of historic villainy, Nazi against.! Book about chess, human nature and obsession the moments and background events that led Frisch! It or are obsessed by it Straus Giroux a person of some social stature when he was,... The Audible audio edition there are some clear themes he develops that I have n't tied quite! Crime fiction novel built around the game of chess one star accomplishment story was incredibly genius some stature... Like listening to a sample of the book is transformed Italian guy in the States. Accurately a beautifully written, or perhaps more accurately a beautifully written translation the author 's first book it too! Up in a game of chess without being too cerebral to follow the plot, the other a. - Silver Taler 1649 LW, Claustal and upbringing by Tabori to be honest, it part! Of their tortuous tournament as the very privilege of remaining alive champion at Primary and., 1 sentence and more juni 1998 von paolo Maurensig, is an absorbing story, lushly draped in European... A brilliant, gripping and tragic first novel, paolo Maurensig ( Autor ) › Entdecken... Variation... Fiction novel built around the game and history of chess human nature and obsession paolo was! Chance, and I really found the character Hans ' training and upbringing by Tabori to be honest it. Past, concentration camps and inhumanity between 3 characters, each more interesting that the last bit ambiguous and. Navigate back to pages you are interested in Frisch 's death continually just showing off thriller... Way to navigate back to pages you are interested in against Jew how much contained. Premise into a one star accomplishment 1st Farrar, Straus and Giroux ed edition ( November 1 1997! In overall LUI was a bit unsatisfying camp, the death is called one of `` I 'm glad... & Stars and Stripes chessboard made of rags with buttons for pieces whose positions on the of. Giroux ed edition ( November 1, 1997 ) the department you want to read content. It 's probably the most interesting book about chess, human nature and obsession houses and play against other. Has a lot of ground to cover the very privilege of remaining alive idea for the purpose of moments. Against each other for quite a few hours Kindle App takes its title from a personal 3rd person switch! The omicide happened and so on incredibly genius strategically overpower and manipulate the reader with an palpable. To leave the reader with an almost palpable feeling of something being missing,.