Anthea Bell

A deep study of the uneasy heart by one of the masters of the psychological novel, Journey into the Past , published here for the first time in America, is a novella that was found among Zweig’s papers after his death. Investigating the strange ways in which love, in spite of everything—time, war, betrayal—can last, Zweig tells...

One spring day, the little Water Sprite is born in a house of reeds at the bottom of a mill pond. Duckweed soup, pickled water fleas, and other dainties are served to celebrate. The little Water Sprite grows up quickly, and soon he is bored of gazing out the window at the newts and fish swimming by. There is a whole new world to see outside his...

“Once upon a time there was a little witch who was only a hundred and  twenty-seven years old”—that’s how the story of the little witch and her talking raven Abraxas begins, and though one hundred and twenty-seven isn’t at all old for a witch, Little Witch already has a big problem. Every year, on Walpurgis Night,...

The Robber Hotzenplotz is a merry tale of two scoundrels, two friends, a toad-fairy, and an unforgettable escapade. The Robber Hotzenplotz works hard at his job, waking early to hide in the woods and waylay new victims. One morning Kasperl’s grandmother is sitting in the sun outside her house, grinding coffee in her new musical coffee...

“A brilliant debut novel” about a young Bosnian War refugee who finds the secret to survival in language and stories ( Los Angeles Times ).   For Aleksandar Krsmanović, Grandpa Slavko’s stories endow life in Višegrad with a kaleidoscopic brilliance. Neighbors, friends, and family past and present take on a mythic quality; the River Drina courses...

The international phenomenon and winner of the German Book Prize. “A devastating novel about war, love, and the art of survival” ( Marie Claire ).   Julia Franck’s unforgettable English-language debut, The Blindness of the Heart is a dark marvel of a novel by one of Europe’s freshest young voices—a family story spanning two world wars and...

“[A] novel of fractured childhood in East Germany . . . a powerful elegy” from the author of the international bestseller, The Blindness of the Heart ( Booklist , starred review).   Echoing themes of Julia Franck’s German Book Prize–winning novel, The Blindness of the Heart , Back to Back begins in 1954 and centers around a single family...

A casual introduction, a challenge to a simple game of chess, a lovers' reunion, a meaningless infidelity: from such small seeds Zweig brings forth five startlingly tense tales--meditations on the fragility of love, the limits of obsession, the combustibility of secrets and betrayal. To read anything by Zweig is to risk addiction; in this...

These four Stefan Zweig stories, newly translated by the award-winning Anthea Bell, are among his most celebrated and compelling work. The titular tale is a devastating depiction of unrequited love, which inspired a classic Hollywood film, directed by Max Ophüls and starring Joane Fontaine. Elsewhere in the collection, a young man mistakes the...

In this magnificent collection of Stefan Zweig's short stories the very best and worst of human nature are captured with sharp observation, understanding and vivid empathy. Ranging from love and death to faith restored and hope regained, these stories present a master at work, at the top of his form. Perfectly paced and brimming with passion, these...