An intimate memoir and a sweeping elegy for a vanished era, The World of Yesterday is Stefan Zweig’s poignant tribute to the golden age of European culture—and its catastrophic collapse. Born into a cosmopolitan Jewish family in Vienna, Zweig witnessed the height of Austro-Hungarian brilliance and the devastation of two world wars. With lyrical prose and heartbreaking clarity, he recounts the intellectual ferment of prewar Europe, his encounters with literary greats like Rilke and Freud, and the slow unraveling of peace, tolerance, and enlightenment in the face of rising nationalism and tyranny. Written in exile shortly before his tragic death, this memoir is both deeply personal and universally resonant. The World of Yesterday stands as a testament to the fragility of civilization, the resilience of the human spirit, and the enduring power of memory.
