Stefan Zweig's The Royal Game: What's the ultimate desert island book?

This week's between-novel quick read is Stefan Zweig's The Royal Game: A Chess Story, written in 1941, immediately before Zweig obliterated his map. We argue over the perfect answer to the 'desert island book' question, whether it's possible to fracture your own mind into pieces, why Cam sucks at chess, and whether we should pressure our kids to become pro athletes/chess prodigies/concert pianists.   CHAPTERS: (00:00:00) plot summary (00:05:43) What’s the perfect desert island book? (00:17:00) Tulpas and fractured psyches (00:26:10) Our own chess performance (00:34:56) On monomania and pressuring kids into sports/music/chess   WRITE US: We love listener feedback. Send us a note at [email protected] to correct our hot takes, add your own, or ask a question.   NEXT ON THE READING LIST: Atomised — Michel Houellebecq