Beware of Pity (New York Review Classics)

Not only for myself, Stefan Zweig is being discovered all over again by readers worldwide. He was a bestseller and widely read German writer in his own time, but sank into oblivion (rather forced to) due to his self imposed exile to avoid nazi nuisance and later his sudden, shocking demise by suicide. But thanks to Pushkin Press, Zweig is getting re-discovered again, his time of oblivion is over for good. There is another standard translation of Beware of Pity published by Penguin titled "Impatience of the Heart". (Another one is there by Rupa Publication, too. But I don't know much about that.) But in my humble opinion the one translated by Anthea Bell (Pushkin Press edition) is more definitive than the Penguin version. Coming to the novel itself, this is nothing but a masterpiece. An original and powerful exploration of human emotions. A tense, feverish, exciting tale structured with gripping intensity. Sunday Telegraph advices in their review of the book that "you should go out at once and buy his books". I couldn't agree more.

I was introduced to Stefan Zweig six decades ago , and he shares the stage with O. Henry till today.

A proper and neatly packaged product by the seller, kudos to them(Trans Infopreneur Inc)

The main highlight, the main front of the book is not printed–where it is written about two types of pity, except from this book quality is pretty good, one can purchase if you don't get into much details about books

Superb

Some people consider Stefan Zweig’s book, ‘Beware of Pity’, to be his greatest novel. While I consider this novel to be magnificent, I much prefer his other book, ‘Chess.’ The story concerns the tale of Lt (later Captain) Hofmiller, posted to a dreary Austrian town, and how he starts to visit the home of the town’s richest family, the Kekesfalvas. Herr von Kekesfalva has a crippled daughter, Edith. Our hero becomes a fixture at the Kekesfalva household, and Edith falls passionately in love with him. Stefan Zweig based his book on the premise that there are two kinds of pity, one that is feeble, sentimental, and corrosive, while the second type is unsentimental and constructive. Indeed, Edith’s doctor, Dr. Condor, embodies the second type of behavior, as we see in his relationship with his blind wife. Stefan Zweig wrote the book in the first person, so we know what happens inside the hero’s brain and how his emotions get the better of him. I will not write about the book’s conclusion because it would spoil it for many readers. However, while the title speaks of pity and not cowardice, Lt. Hofmiller’s behavior embodies self-pity, cowardice, and weakness. He embodies the personality of a man who cannot, and will not, stand for his principles, if he has any. It is rare that I have felt less sympathy for a hero than I did after reading this novel by Stefan Zweig. He wrote the book in the style of the times, with long passages devoted to the hero’s inner struggles, thoughts, and conflicting emotions. Unlike our past-paced times, where sensations bombard us constantly, leaving us with less time for reflection, a vastly reduced desire to read patiently, Stefan Zweig’s book requires patient reading. Having said that, I felt that a few passages in the book’s center could have been shortened: we know what is going through Hofmiller’s head, and it is only because he is a character in a novel that we cannot shake him by the collar and ask him to develop courage and honor! While yes, the book deals with both kinds of pity, the book also deals with moral turpitude and cowardice, perhaps unintentionally. Will the book attract a modern reader? A few, maybe, just a few

I got this book as a gift from a friend returning from Vienna (Austria), I rather forced him to get me one. Now all my friends know that the moment they ask me what to get from the country they are returning, it will never be something from Duty Free, but from the airport book stall, but the only condition is that it has to be a local author book and in English. I neither offer them a writer's name nor a book, so it always comes as a surprise. This was a totally surprise read with so much human psychology in play that it shocked, surprised and kept me engaged to the very last page with such an intriguing story, yet it took me close to two weeks to finish, but no complaints. The story is very straightforward and told from the perspective of a highly decorated army officer who had personally shot down three fighter aircraft in the Second World War and had kept an enemy army at bay with his histrionics of machine guns and all that. How his little act of pity lands him in a soup is the story all about when he mistakenly asks a crippled girl to dance with him just because he was invited to a high-end party, where, in the first place, he was in awe of one of her close friends. What leads is an amazing story where we, the readers, feel his pain and angst as he goes through and how it all technically gets forced on him with no way out for him. At times, I myself was confused as to who was rooting for? the crippled girl falling for the officer, or her father blackmailing him with his power or our hero’s pure heart making him do something his brain tells him all the way not to do. But what shocked and broke my heart was the ending, hats off to Stefan Zweig for that ending that I simply couldn’t predict, yet he leaves me with a few questions, which are food for my thoughts on the gem of a story. The title is so apt that mid-way ways I just couldn’t think of a better alternate option. Have you read Beware of Pity or any other Stefan Zweig book? I am looking forward to a few more from him as they are much more acclaimed than this one. Also, my next foreign gift book is going to be from Shakespeare, guess where my friend is coming back from?

Such a brilliant book. Very heartbreaking. It really shows the consequences of pity - an unwarranted response to another - a form of condescension. The characters are beautifully developed and they evoke strong emotions. The unique writing style also adds great value to the reading. Definitely a must-read.

Ein wirklich schönes Buch, mit schöner Geschichte und man erfährt noch einiges über die Zeit von damals.

A história, narrada de uma forma elegante, própria do autor, mais que relevam o excesso de detalhes, que tornam o livro mais longo do que o necessário

Extraordinaria novela que detalla la batalla interna de un hombre que pretende tener control sobre su vida y su entorno y al ser amado por una mujer a la cual el no puede amar, pierde las riendas sobre el mismo y es invadido por culpas y el sentido del deber. Se sumerge en un mar de angustia y confusión que Paradójicamente encuentra alivio a sus.demonios internos en el surgimiento del caos y los horrores de la Primera Guerra Mundial.

Enjoyed the read never the less

...no, not the book by Dave Eggers, but this masterpiece by Stefan Zweig. I came upon this by accident, and bought it, intrigued by the story outline and the reviews below. Only very, very rarely does a book have the power to draw me into the lives of the characters, probably because they're usually just that - characters. Not so here. Here we have flesh and blood and all that entails. I'm still amazed at Zweig's story telling. He's the kind of writer who could make a shopping list fascinating. I lived and breathed every single word in this incredibly beautiful book, and as Nigel Rodgers has accurately said below, the tension becomes almost unendurable. I can hardly do justice to it in a few words. Weirdly, I often found myself smiling, not because it's a funny book, far from it, but just through an appreciation of Zweig's supreme mastery of his art. This is one of those books appearing only a few times in your life that wring emotion out of you whether you like it or not. A heart-breaking, unforgettable and life-enriching experience. Kudos to Pushkin Press for publishing a very handsome new edition. I'd also like to praise the translation, too, by Trevor and Phyllis Blewitt. At no time is there even a hint that you're reading a translation - something that occurred to me only after finishing the book. On the contrary, it seems to me that the elegance of the language and all the magnificent virtues that contribute to Zweig's humanity and genius have been faithfully rendered. The proof is in my twin disappointments; coming to the end, and learning that there are no further full-length novels by Zweig. I'll definitely be reading all his other works, though.