Selected Stories Paperback – January 1, 2009

These stories evoke pre-WWII Europe and the sensibilities of particular segments of the population (mainly upper bourgeois, intellectual, aristocratic). The writing is compelling as it delves into a range of passions and obsessions, with particular attention to the female psyche. A favorite was "Buchmendel," the tale of a bookseller savant and his tragic interaction with bureaucratic power. Although at times the prose seemed a bit overheated, I found myself eager to stay with it.

Zweig has been one of my favorite authors for a long time. I bought this book for my mother in law who loves to read but she had never heard of this writer before. This book seemed to be the perfect option as it provides the wonderful selection of Zweig's stories. My mother-in-law loved it! She eventually ordered some more and Zweig is now one of her favorite authors.

It is necessary to read these short stories, not only are they thoughtful, but they are referenced in other Zweig stories, so you have to be aware of them in order to understand more clearly the current Zweig story at hand.

I knew that he was a major Austrian literary figure, but I didn't know exactly how great of a writer he is. These novellas show a master at work.His prose is a joy to read and his insights into humans is, at times, staggering.

i read most of zweig's works when i was a yound adolescent. having read him as an old senior has not changed his profound impact

The great problem with reading the extraordinary Stefan Zweig is that you want to read only him... he tends to spoil you for other writers. Why? I have no idea. I only know that some very powerful magic takes over from the first lines of his stories or novellas, that propel you into them so intensely that you just cannot wait to learn what happens to these people.Why?Why do we care so much?I have been trying to understand that since discovering Zweig through a friend some ten years ago. His output of stories was not enormous, and I have since read that he wrote many of his novellas as 400-page full-length novels, later ruthlessly cutting them, or distilling them, to around 80-100 pages.Is that the secret? Did he manage to pack into a short story what most writers cannot pack into an entire novel? Yes, yes and yes.Reading a Zweig novel is an emotional experience.One is almost panting by the last sentence. Why?Read and wonder.I love reading and I have read a lot of books. Nobody has the effect that Zweig has on me. I find him one of my top three favourite and most brilliant writers.Perhaps the best.

Six short stories exploring the passion of human existence. Each one unique in its execution, each equally briiliant in the telling. 'Fantastic Night'sees a mans belief in life restored, '24 Hours in the life....'has a cultured English lady fall into a heated passion for a gambler,'Invisable Collection' a fable set in the hyper inflationary period,'Buchmental' a beautiful tale of a man absorbed by books to the exclusion of the world, 'Letter from...' a womans unrequited passion for a writer, and 'Fowler Ensnared' a cassanover type tale... no writer can compere or compete with Zweigs versaltility and depth. Each situation is inventive with so many human traits explored and touched upon. That Zweig was a close friend and admirer of Freud shines through-one even wonders how much Freuds ideas gained from association with Zweig! That Zweig commited suicide in 1942 aged 61 is a human tragedy. His world of free thinking and exploration of ideas was destroyed for a second time with a second world war;the first,he saw, leading to the equally repugnant and oppressive political dogmas of nazi-ism and communism. He may have had another 20 years to live.The world lost a great commentator, a great thinker. Though maybe the upheavals, political and social, in the 50's and 60's would have left him more demoralized. The great thing we have, however, is his great legacy of words, and this is a brilliant collection in which to get to know this great man

This book is absolutely amazing! It was a perfect read for our holiday and it was one of those books that was really hard to put down. All stories are written down so eloquently and urge you to think about the characters viewpoint about everyday topics such as love and friendship and mortality. If you have not read any of his books, please do because you will not be disappointed. Stefan Zweig's writing is exquisite and I would recommend it highly to anyone that has not had the pleasure of reading his stories.