Origins & Early Life

Stefan Zweig ( ZWYGHE, SWYGHE; German: [ˈʃtɛfan t͡svaɪ̯k] or Austrian German: [t͡svaɪ̯g]; 28 November 1881 – 22 February 1942) was an Austrian writer. At the height of his literary career in the 1920s and 1930s, he was one of the most widely translated and popular writers in the world. Born into a Jewish family, Zweig was raised in Vienna, Austria-Hungary. He wrote studies of famous literary figures, such as Honoré de Balzac, Charles Dickens, and Fyodor Dostoevsky in Drei Meister (1920; Three Masters), and of historical events in Decisive Moments in History (1927).

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He wrote biographies of Joseph Fouché (1929), Mary Stuart (1935) and Marie Antoinette (Marie Antoinette: The Portrait of an Average Woman, 1932), among others. Zweig's best-known fiction includes Letter from an Unknown Woman (1922), Amok (1922), Fear (1925), Confusion of Feelings (1927), Twenty-Four Hours in the Life of a Woman (1927), the psychological novel Ungeduld des Herzens (Beware of Pity, 1939), and The Royal Game (1941). In 1934, as a result of the Nazi Party's rise in Germany and the establishment of the Ständestaat regime in Austria, Zweig emigrated to England and then, in 1940, moved briefly to New York and then...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

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• Béla Bartók — Contemporary (Born in 1881) (1881): Pioneering Hungarian composer, pianist, and ethnomusicologist of the 20th century.
• Ama Ata Aidoo — Contemporary (Born in 1942) (1942): Pioneering Ghanaian writer, poet, and academician celebrated for feminist themes.
• Amitabh Bachchan — Contemporary (Born in 1942) (1942): Iconic figure of Hindi cinema, celebrated for versatility and enduring stardom.
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• Adam Ferguson — Shared historical date (02-22 · Died) (1816): Scottish philosopher, historian, and 'father of modern sociology'.
• Adolphe Quetelet — Shared historical date (02-22 · Born) (1796): Pioneering Belgian statistician, founder of anthropometry, and social scientist.
• 1881 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1881
• November 28 (11-28) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on November 28
• 1942 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1942
• February 22 (02-22) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on February 22