Michael Frayn is the author of Copenhagen, a fascinating play that speculates about the true mission of the German scientist Werner Heisenberg's visit to his Danish scientist friend Niels Bohr at the end of World War II. Heisenberg had been working on the atomic bomb for Nazi Germany, but the German research failed. Not much is known about what happened when Heisenberg visited Bohr, and Frayn shows different possibilities in his three-person play. The play was performed close to 300 times in London, featuring David Burke as Niels Bohr.

This book, The Copenhagen Papers, however, is the account of what happens, when Frayne receives a mysterious bundle of German papers that appear to have emerged from beneath the floorboards of Farm Hall, a house where German scientists were kept during the final preparations of the Allies' atomic bombs. Frayn is thrilled and tries to figure out their meaning, especially since they seem to contain scientific formulae as well as instructions to put up a table-tennis table. Could all this be a breakthrough on the question whether Heisenberg had known how to build the bomb, but didn't for whatever reason?

In an intriguing way, Frayne and Burke take turns in revealing the true nature of the papers and their background to the reader, the whole plot taking a surprising turn somewhere and heading into the abyss of the Human mind and the way it perceives reality.

Highly recommended by Herrundmeyer - so I didn't even try to resist and took it home from our Düsseldorf meet-up :))

I found the book nice - it's a very fast read and it really keeps your attention. In between I was a bit lost but that's due to the fact that I am suffering from a very bad cold with fever... not the best time to read. Anyway, I liked the book and will take it with me to Boston in October to hand it to another BCer in persona because I think it's a too nice copy to leave it somewhere =:o)))

Handed over to Zmrzlina today. Have fun!!!

Received this from Muffin77 after a wonderful afternoon spent wandering the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts. I'm looking forward to reading it, which I would have done last night if my entire town of Scituate hadn't lost power for the entire evening. Reading by candlelight sounds romantic, but is really a bit of a chore. I will post again once I have read it. Thank you Herrundmeyer and Muffin77.