Stefan Zweig

Contains 12 brief accounts by Stefan Zweig (1881-1942) of decisive historical moments in which an individual's will to discover, create, and transcend the limits imposed by the temporal and physical environment conflicts with the individual's inability to escape from the realities of their own nature.

Twelve Historical Miniatures

Decisive Moments in History

Jeni Enjaian

This book was a surprise gift from my stepdad. Knowing that I like history, he figured that this book, with its high ratings, would be a good choice. Prior to reading the book, I did not research anything about the book and thus discovered, while reading, that Zweig, an Austrian, wrote this book early in the 20th century, perhaps just after the first world war. Knowing this, I approached the book as a study in historiography. Historians of the early 20th century and other times of course, wrote history in far different, much more lyrical prose. Zweig is no different. He infuses each of the vignettes with lyricism, emotion, and beauty as he discusses different events from Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo, to Handel's triumphant composition of The Messiah.
I most definitely enjoyed this book.

Decisive Moments in History Twelve Historical Miniatures

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