Stefan Zweig

Born in Vienna in 1881, Stefan Zweig became one of the most widely read authors in Europe. He wrote short stories, novellas, essays, plays, and biographies, and readers were drawn to his clear style, psychological insight, and interest in moments when an ordinary life suddenly changes.

Zweig was also a strong believer in European culture as something that could cross borders and soften political conflict. Because he was Jewish and openly opposed to nationalism, he was forced into exile after the rise of Nazism, living for a time in Britain, the United States, and Brazil. His memoir The World of Yesterday remains one of the most vivid personal accounts of the end of old Europe.

In 1942, while living in Petrópolis, Brazil, Zweig and his wife Lotte died by suicide. His work has endured because it combines graceful storytelling with sympathy for human weakness, ambition, fear, and longing.