In Search of Klingsor - Softcover

Volpi, Jorge

3.91

1,933 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1841153893 ISBN 13: 9781841153896

Publisher: Fourth Estate, 2009

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Already an international bestseller, ‘In Search of Klingsor’ traces an American physicist’s thrilling search to unmask Hitler’s chief science advisor, the man whose work on the German atomic bomb threatened Allied security.

In 1946, Francis Bacon, a brilliant young American physicist, is pursuing research under the guidance of Albert Einstein, Kurt G�del and other great minds of modern science. But because of a series of personal indiscretions he is forced to accept an altogether different, more sinister, assignment: uncover ‘Klingsor’, Hitler's foremost advisor on the atomic bomb. But who is Klingsor and where might he be found?

Bacon’s efforts to expose the truth take him to Germany and to Gustav Links, a survivor of the failed attempt to kill Hitler in 1944. With Links at his side, Bacon is able to reconstruct a map of European maths and physics and embark on a journey that will lead him to some of the greatest scientific thinkers of the time, including Heisenberg, Schr�dinger and B�hr, all of them suspects. As the search for his seemingly omniscient adversary intensifies, Bacon is drawn deeper and deeper into the secrets and lies of post-war Europe and into a complicated relationship with a mysterious and alluring woman whose motives are unclear.

Part mystery, part psychological puzzle, part spy story, ‘In Search of Klingsor’ is already an international bestseller. It has been compared with Umberto Eco's ‘The Name of the Rose’ in its ability to fuse its many elements – science, metaphysics, mathematics, philosophy – into a single compelling narrative and will delight anyone with an enquiring mind.

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Review:

‘Jorge Volpi will be one of the stars of Spanish literature of this century.’ Carlos Fuentes

‘“In Search of Klingsor” is about Nazi nuclear scientists in World War II – imagine the mood and intellect of Borges somehow grown into a beautiful, dark, lively suspenseful novel – which is becoming an international hit.’ Francisco Goldman

‘Broad in scope and supremely ambitious, this novel by Mexican writer Volpi succeeds at several levels. Volpi offers a poignant, powerful reminder of the potential and the peril involved when we harness the forces of nature.’ Publishers’ Weekly (Starred review)

From the Back Cover:

In 1946, Francis Bacon, a brilliant young American physicist, is pursuing research under the guidance of Albert Einstein, Kurt Goedel and other great minds of modern science. But because of a series of personal indiscretions he is forced to accept an altogether different, more sinister assignment: uncover 'Klingsor', Hitler's foremost advisor on the atomic bomb. But who is Klingsor and where might he be found?

Bacon's efforts to expose the truth take him to Germany, and to Gustav Links, a survivor of the failed attempt to kill Hitler in 1944. With Links at his side, Bacon is able to reconstruct a map of European maths and physics and embark on a journey that will lead him to some of the greatest scientific thinkers of the time, including Heisenberg, Schrodinger and Bohr, all of them suspects. As the search for his seemingly omniscient adversary intensifies, Bacon is drawn deeper and deeper into the secrets and lies of post-war Europe and into a complicated relationship with a mysterious and alluring woman whose motives are unclear.

Part mystery, part psychological puzzle, part spy story, 'In Search of Klingsor' is already an international bestseller. It has been compared with Umberto Eco's 'The Name of the Rose' in its ability to fuse its many elements – science, metaphysics, mathematics, philosophy – into a single compelling narrative and will delight anyone with an enquiring mind.

Praise for 'In Search of Klingsor':

"Jorge Volpi never misses the mark in the creation of his characters – some historical, others fictional – and everything is united by the cohesion afforded by the one element which is essential in film: suspense. We are intrigued, we feel we must find out what will happen, what comes next. In this sense the novel is a masterpiece."
GUILLERMO CABRERA INFANTE

"An ingenious literary journey into the world of science, cloaked within a spy thriller."
ALAN LIGHTMAN

"'In Search of Klingsor' is about Nazi nuclear scientists in World War II – imagine the mood and intellect of Borges somehow grown into a beautiful, dark, lively, suspenseful novel – which is becoming an international hit."
FRANCISCO GOLDMAN

"Jorge Volpi will be one of the stars of Spanish literature of this century."
CARLOS FUENTES

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