Letter from an Unknown Woman and Other Stories

I was motivated to read Letter From An Unknown Woman and Other Stories because my mother recommended it to me.Stefan Zweig was a wonderful novelist and a tragic figure,but he has left a diamond legacy with his literary work.This short story is very classily written and draws the reader into a shadowy world which is both beautiful and sad.I throroughly enjoyed this work;the first story describes the unrequited passion of a young girl who lived in Vienna in pre Second World War days,with her mother.The girl becomes besotted with her author neighbour and observes him from afar(what these days would be termed as stalking)and it takes on a new meaning in the book. The author comes across as a selfish male figure,but the quality of Zweig's writing is so immaculate that the story does not come over as at all disturbing.Recommended reading.

The title story is wonderfully lyrical and heart-rending, despite a thought on my part that the unknown woman would have benefited from reading some Germaine Greer! Is it love? Obsession? Psychologically rich and deliriously musical in Anthea Bell's translation. I think it would make a beautiful dramatic scena (soprano and orchestra, lush and late-Romantic or sparsely Expressionistic?). No wonder that Zweig was a successful librettist for Richard Strauss.'A Story Told In Twilight' maybe suffers from an 'excess of climax' (as Egon Wellesz described the almost contemporary 'Verklaerte Nacht' by Arnold Schoenberg) - yet so well depicts that earnest awakening of sexuality and desire.In light relief is the utterly charming 'The Debt Paid Late' - impossible not to smile with this one. In many ways it's very reminiscent of Hesse's earliest tales.'Forgotten Dreams' - the shortest and slightest story but you may also find your smile faltering by the end as the author intends. Forgotten dreams, lost hopes.

An absolutely wonderful and evocative memory of a lost time. I read it every year.

I bought this thinking it gave me additional Zweig novellas. In fact I discovered they were all contained in the hardback version "The Collected Stories of Stefan Zweig in the same translation so I gave this book to my daughter!The short stories themselves are as always sublimely composed by this fine German writer and supremely well translated by Anthea Bell.

Stefan Zweig is one of the best writers ever.His work never disappoints. I love The Royal Game, Beware of Pity, and all the short stories.Every sentence, every observation, every description is exceptional.All of the stories are gripping, I always want to read them in one sitting.Recommend highly.