Welcome to Litsy!

I don't know if it's the writing, or Anthea Bell's translation, or just because it was the right book at the right time, but I raced through this autobiography, despite its heavy subject matter. It reconciled me with Zweig too. He chose to give us almost nothing about his private life, and not much more about his work - it's all about the people he met and his analysis of the (now-)historical events he lived through. Humane and thought-provoking.

A quote from Zweig's autobiography to remind us that one can be a reader & love the books of a humanist author, and still be a fascist psychopath & a dictator.
(The wife of an imprisoned opponent of Mussolini asked him to try and get him released, which implies pleading with the enemy - Mussolini - who happens to be a fan of his work.)

Another still from Parlement, series 4 with Carmen realising the parallels between today and the run-up to WWII.

I don't want to speak ill of my capital city - and it does feel good to read nice things about a tolerant, non-classist, non-racist, fun Paris in Edwardian times - but Zweig is wearing humongous rose-tinted glasses here 😁

Call me easily led: I am reading Zweig's autobiography b/c it featured heavily in an episode (S4E7) of the TV comedy series about EU institutions Parlement, with the subtext that it is transposable to today's world & political climate. Which is scary because Zweig lived through WWI and committed suicide in 1942.
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/may/04/machiavelli-in-brussels-bac...

#readingispolitical

All of the loss and misery caused by Hitler was writ large in the life of Zweig. Once one of the most prominent authors in Europe, a truly joyful man, Zweig was ultimately defeated by book banning and exile and genocide. This is a harrowing tale of the toll of war on a gentle heart. It won‘t tell you much that you don‘t already know, but it is another thing entirely to see this history through the eyes of a witness who is also a gifted writer.

Zweig‘s memoir is a wonderfully intimate account of life before and during the world wars. His viewpoint as an artist and writer during that time gave me a new perspective. His stories will stay with me. His vivid descriptions took me there with him. Recommend for those interested in this time period.

This is a collection of essays that reads essentially as a memoir, wherein Zweig details his life as a writer in Vienna and traveling abroad and his meetings and reflections on other artists and their work whom he had struck up friendships with (many it seems). But the real allure of this book for me was to read a first-hand account of culture, politics and daily life in Belle époque Europe, during WWI, the inter-war period and the start of WW2.

@Tanisha_A and me in our natural habitat! Such a shame that the best people live so far away! My heart will forever remember our weekend in Vienna ❤️ hopefully we‘ll meet again soon! Litsy just has the best people as members🥰

The past weekend I met @Tanisha_A in vienna. We went bookshopping, saw amazing art, ate cake and had great conversations- all thanks to Litsy! I‘m so grateful that an app like this made this friendship possible!

We bought the tagged book and will buddy read it some day 🥰

The past weekend I met @Tanisha_A in vienna. We went bookshopping, saw amazing art, ate cake and had great conversations- all thanks to Litsy! I‘m so grateful that an app like this made this friendship possible!

We bought the tagged book and will buddy read it some day 🥰