MARIA MELCHIORRE
Special to The Leader
“The Impossible Exile,” a new biography of Stefan Zweig written by George Prochnik, takes a deeper look at the final months of the Austrian writer’s life. Birger Vanwesenbeeck, Associate Professor of English, recently had the opportunity to review the biography for the Journal of Austrian Studies, a publication of the University of Nebraska Press and the longest-standing scholarly journal for Austrian studies in the U.S.
“It’s really a very personal book for Prochnik,” said Vanwesenbeeck. Prochnik, whose grandparents were Jewish refugees during World War II, just as Stefan Zweig, had a personal engagement in the work. “It’s pretty experimental, weaving fragments of his own ancestor’s lives and the life of Zweig,” said Vanwesenbeeck on this unique approach to the biography.
Vanwesenbeeck comes to writing the review as somewhat of a Zweig expert. Published earlier this year, he co-edited “Stefan Zweig and World Literature: 20th Century Perspectives,” the first scholarly study on Zweig to be published in English in over 25 years. Global interest in Zweig has experienced a resurgence in the last decade.
“He has international appeal in an increasingly global world,” said Vanwesenbeeck. Prochnick’s biography, the first of its kind to be published in English in more than 30 years, focuses more on this global aspect than previous works, which placed emphasis on his European identity.
“Stefan Zweig and World Literature: 20th Century Perspectives” came about due to a recognized need for a global framework for Zweig’s works. Zweig was one of the most widely-translated authors of the 1920’s. The angle from which Zweig is being written about today differs from the perspectives of the 1970’s and 1980’s. No longer is he merely the “Great European,” but now is receiving due recognition as a truly global writer.
In “The Impossible Exile,” Prochnik really “brings Zweig from the page,” said Vanwesenbeeck. The review is Vanwesenbeeck’s third publication with the Journal of Austrian Studies.