[ad_1]
a A good memoir This book tells us a lot about a man and the times in which he lived. A century of oppression and war, and eventually, in some places, democracy and peace, shaped European life. Memoirists are among the best chroniclers of that history. Sturm und Drang They seem to be recurring characters in the autobiographies of people we will never encounter outside of libraries and bookstore shelves. As more than 350 million people head to the polls in the European Parliament elections from 6 to 9 June, what will they read to learn about the past and present of their homes?
No one has captured the flow of history quite like Stefan Zweig. The popular writer of the early 20th century wrote vivid biographies of figures like Magellan and Marie Antoinette, making them seem as if they had been his friends for years. Starting in the 1930s, the Austrian turned his attention to the fate of Europe, and to himself. As the opening chapters of Yesterday’s World delve into the past, things seem to be going smoothly for the continent. It’s enough to make you wish you could spend a day in the early 20th century.NumberZweig travels to 1942 century Vienna and accompanies him on a visit to Auguste Rodin in Paris, but the mood quickly darkens as he witnesses the continent descending into madness. Soon the Nazis burn Zweig’s books (Zweig was Jewish). Zweig escapes and eventually reaches Brazil. He sends the manuscript of what will be his final book to a publisher just before he and his wife commit suicide in February 1942. Yesterday’s World is an eerie and fascinating read.
[ad_2]
Source link
