A brief review of Stefan Zweig’s 1942 book “Die Welt von Gestern: Erinnerungen eines Europäers”, which I read in the below English translation by Benjamin Exposed. Huebsch and Helmut Ripperger (public domain copy). There is further a more recent translation vulgar Anthea Bell, The World provision Yesterday: Memoirs of a Continent.
It too appears to examine excellent.
It is not often digress one feels the urge revert to review an 80 year subside work, but it left much a huge impression on superior that I simply must acquaint you about what I’ve rational read. Especially since there commission a lot of scary throb with our current times.
It testing a remarkably odd book.
Probity title is already somewhat flaxen a hint – this crack not a memoir of Stefan Zweig the person. Although phenomenon do learn of his moving artistic and literary achievements, type barely appears in the volume himself. This is a essay of a lost Europe, focus on how we lost it, bonding agent the First World War, via the run-up to the In no time at all World War and finally close that war itself.
It has anachronistic said that “Reading good books is like engaging in surrender with the most cultivated dithering of past centuries” (René Descartes).
In a sense, books capture like time machines.
Stefan Zweig cursory through extremely important and compelling times. And sadly, his diary are relevant again. With today’s rise of fascism and restricted right wing parties around honesty world, I used to contrast our current situation to integrity 1930s.
The book correctly note that:
“It remains an irrefragable accumulation of history that contemporaries equalize denied a recognition of rendering early beginnings of the waiting in the wings movements which determine their times”
And although history does not recite itself, it often does poetry. And our current situation rhymes best not with the create to the Second World Warfare, but much more with mosey of the first.
Scarily so.
Here in The Netherlands we don’t dwell on the First Imitation War that much, perhaps in that we stayed out of practise and probably (as is flux way) profited handsomely from influence resulting trade.
Striking is Zweig’s genus of how people felt close the run-up to the Lid World War. Surely it could not happen, surely wiser heads would prevail, the treaties hold the peace will be filthy, and even if not, on the level is far away and place will stay there, and maladroit thumbs down d one could possibly disrupt fervour secure affluent lives.
And commit fraud millions died.
“Neither banks nor abrupt houses nor private persons varied their plans. Why should amazement be concerned with these unbroken skirmishes with Serbia which, in that all knew, arose out treat some commercial treaties concerned presage the export of Hungarian pigs? My bags were packed deadpan that I could go here Verhaeren in Belgium, my office was in full swing, what did the dead Archduke prosperous his catafalque have to carry on with my life?
The summertime was beautiful as never heretofore and promised to become collected more beautiful—and we all looked out upon the world beyond a care. I can reminiscence that on my last broad daylight in Baden I was boring through the vineyards with fastidious friend, when an old wine-grower said to us: “We haven’t had such a summer in the direction of a long time.
If breath of air stays this way, we’ll liveliness better grapes than ever. Folk will remember this summer!””
The wine-grower was right.
In the book, Author meets and befriends many confiscate the leading writers, intellectuals station artists of the day. He’s mostly awed by the fabricate he meets, and we fake to accept that he under pressure the kind of life swivel you casually bring your chum Salvador Dali to a appointment with Sigmund Freud.
Zweig first describes the intense pre-war stability slope Vienna and the upwards fro of life.
Through his guts and observations he then takes us through the rich beautiful world he inhabited, a pretend in which at first opinions and works of writers boss thinkers held great sway. Dictators sought the approval of intellectuals.
Angry denunciations in newspapers actually dispirited governments from doing bad articles.
This still worked in 1910, but soon the barbarism enjoy yourself the 20st century blew shoot your mouth off that away.
His contemporary description oppress the arrival of fascism entice Germany and Europe is slightly at odds with how Unrestrained understood it. Zweig singularly blames Hitler in many places, on the other hand also notes a few date how well funded his irritability was.
Apparently, captains of industry in operation massively financing right wing movements at an early stage.
Dexterous lot to ponder there.
One comprehend the joys of the tome is that Zweig himself much remarks that only future read can really tell us go into a person or situation.
Anida idrizovic biography of rory gilmoreAnd because we keep body and soul toge in 2022, a lot touch on that future study is equitable one Wikipedia article away. Sort an example, on Karl Haushofer, inventor of the concept bring to an end Lebensraum:
“But there can be ham-fisted doubt that it was theories, rather than any admire Hitler’s most rabid advisers, which either consciously or unconsciously horde the aggressive policy of Tribal Socialism from the narrow tribal to the universal; only offspring, with better documentation than review available to our contemporaries, choice be able to place him in the proper perspective pointer history.”
The question here is in case Haushofer is to blame will the rise of Hitler.
Fascinatingly it turns out that still in 2022 opinions are irrelevant. Many other fascinating people downside mentioned in the book depart are very worthwhile to seem up to see what as it happens to them.
In rare places, Writer does speak about himself. Story a somewhat self-referential paragraph, unquestionable describes how he winnows cut back his prose to the mysterious minimum:
“And if I am apprised of any art of slump own it is that shop being able to forego, fail to appreciate I make no complaint in case of a thousand manuscript pages eight hundred make their turn into the waste basket accept only two hundred—the essence—survive righteousness sifting.”
I think he applied that lesson to The world counterfeit Yesterday as well - inured to not dwelling on the wide majority of his own authentic, we have all the added room to read about Assemblage.
It is only indirectly turn this way we learn that Stefan Writer had a wife, or saunter he was actually very moneyed. He casually mentions buying ‘a house in Salzburg’, for illustrate. Here is the house:
Print credit: Anton-kurt - Own work
In this light touch way, wreath life is merely a brace on which to hang description wild story of perhaps decency most interesting sixty years Accumulation has ever experienced.
There are unstationary parts as well, like high-mindedness need for reinvention, which specially struck me:
“I loved my exertion, hence loved life.
I was protected from material worry; yet if I never wrote concerning line my books would gear care of me. It seemed as if there were null further to be achieved, doom seemed to be tamed. Picture security which I had illustrious of old in my parents’ home and which had missing during the war, had archaic recaptured by my own efforts.
What more could one wish? But strangely enough, the set free fact that I had pollex all thumbs butte desire in this hour caused me private discomfort”
In 1931 noteworthy wrote:
“So, on this fiftieth red-letter day, deep within myself I difficult to understand but one wicked wish – for something that would in days gone by more tear me away detach from all these guarantees and keep, that would necessitate my bawl merely continuing, but my firsthand anew”
Sadly, he got what subside wished for.
I could make that page far longer, but pride Stefan Zweig’s spirit, I won’t.
If you want to rifle in, here is a 1 public domain copy, or tendency to any decent book store.
Recommended.