The World of Yesterday: Memoirs of a European

Written by Stefan Zweig

Narrated by David Horovitch

Stefan Zweig's memoir, The World of Yesterday, recalls the golden age of prewar Europe - its seeming permanence, its promise and its devastating fall with the onset of two world wars. Zweig's passionate, evocative prose paints a stunning portrait of an era that danced brilliantly on the brink of extinction. It is an unusually humane account of Europe from the closing years of the 19th century through to World War II, seen through the eyes of one of the most famous writers of his era. Zweig's books (novels, biographies, essays) were translated into numerous languages, and he moved in the highest literary circles; he also encountered many leading political and social figures of his day.

The World of Yesterday is a remarkable, totally engrossing history. This translation by the award-winning Anthea Bell captures the spirit of Zweig's writing in arguably his most important work, completed shortly before his tragic death in 1942. It is read with sympathy and understanding by David Horovitch.

• Language: English
• Publisher: W. F. Howes Ltd
• Release date: May 10, 2017
• ISBN: 9781004133123

Stefan Zweig

Stefan Zweig (1881-1942), novelist, biographer, translator, and poet, was born in Austria and became one of the bestselling European authors of the 1920s and 30s. He is renowned for his psychologically astute fiction as well as enthralling studies of seminal figures such as Montaigne, Mary Queen of Scots, Marie Antoinette, Balzac, Nietzsche, and Freud. His work has inspired stage and screen adaptations, including the films Letters from an Unknown Woman and The Grand Hotel Budapest by Wes Anderson. Exiled from Europe by the Nazis, he committed suicide in Petrópolis, Brazil, in 1942.

Reviews for The World of Yesterday

[marcello_324836275 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is an amazing look at European history and culture. Zweig was so perceptive and was plugged into so many icons, Freud, Richard Strauss, Toscanini. His recollection of his native Austria’s society and its tragic history are so detailed and so perceptive. His chapters about his fellow Jews are heart-wrenching. His analysis of how Germany descended into the darkness of Nazi totalitarianism is depressing, especially since the United States is now on the precipice of a similar abyss. I wish more people would read or listen to this book and take note of the warning signs.
(David Horovitch’s reading in the audiobook was outstanding.)