Zweig, Arnold

Zweig, Arnold ärˈnôlt tsvīk [key], 1887–1968, German novelist and dramatist. A Zionist, he was denationalized under National Socialism and went to Palestine. There he wrote about the plight of German Jews in Insulted and Exiled (1933, tr. 1937). After 1948 he returned to live in East Germany. Zweig's realistic novels are characterized by profound humanity and ironic style; the best known, which form a trilogy, are Education before Verdun (1935, tr. 1936), The Case of Sergeant Grischa (1927, tr. 1927), and The Crowning of a King (1937, tr. 1938). His powerful fictional study of life in Germany in 1937, The Axe of Wandsbek, appeared in 1947 (tr. 1947). Among his later works are Five Romances (tr. 1959). His reminiscences were published in 1967.

See his correspondence with Sigmund Freud, ed. by E. L. Freud (1970).

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

See more Encyclopedia articles on: German Literature: Biographies