Two of Stefan Zweig's most compelling novellas are presented together in one volume. As heard on BBC Radio 4's "Book at Bedtime", "Twenty-four Hours in the Life of a Woman" is the story of a middle-aged English widow who travels through Europe to escape loneliness and boredom. One evening, during her stay at the French Riviera, while enjoying the elegant atmosphere of the Monte Carlo Casino, she becomes mesmerised by the obsessive gambling of young Polish aristocrat. This fateful encounter leads to passion, despair and death, changing their lives forever. "The Royal Game" takes place on a cruise ship bound for Buenos Aires, where a tantalising encounter takes place between the reigning world chess champion and an unknown passenger. The stranger's diffident manner masks his extraordinary ability to challenge the Grand Master in a game of chess, but also conceals his dark and damaged past, the horror of which emerges as the game unfolds.
