In Search of Klingsor

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 Gödel 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, Schrödinger and Böhr, 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.

Reviews

‘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)

About the author

An author, scholar and diplomat, Jorge Volpi has a BA in Law and a Master’s in Mexican Literature. He is the author of nine novels and collections and is currently the cultural attaché and director of the Mexican Culture Institute in Paris.