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Twenty-Four Hours In The Life Of A Woman: A New Translation Kindle Edition
by Stefan Zweig (Author), Liam Ferousse (Translator) Format: Kindle Edition
5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars (3)
Stefan Zweig’s Twenty-Four Hours in the Life of a Woman, first published in 1927, is a powerful psychological novella that explores obsession, fate, and the intensity of human emotions. Known for his keen insight into the human psyche, Zweig crafts a gripping story about an elderly woman who, for the first time in her life, confesses a passionate and reckless episode from her past. This brief but profound work is a testament to Zweig’s mastery of tension, emotional depth, and moral ambiguity.
The story unfolds in a quiet European resort, where a scandal—a woman’s sudden elopement with a stranger—sparks a heated debate among the guests. One of them, an older, dignified woman, takes the narrator aside and reveals an experience from her youth that has haunted her for decades. In a single day, she was swept into an all-consuming emotional turmoil after an unexpected encounter with a desperate young gambler. Torn between duty and desire, reason and impulse, she faced a moral dilemma that changed the course of her life.
Zweig’s storytelling is marked by deep psychological realism, a trait that made him one of the most popular European writers of his time. He examines how fleeting moments can alter a person’s destiny and how suppressed emotions shape one’s existence. The novella’s themes of passion, guilt, and self-discovery remain universally relevant, making Twenty-Four Hours in the Life of a Woman a timeless exploration of human vulnerability.
This new translation aims to preserve the lyrical intensity of Zweig’s prose, allowing contemporary readers to experience the full emotional weight of the story. Whether read as a psychological study, a dramatic confession, or a meditation on the unpredictability of life, Twenty-Four Hours in the Life of a Woman remains one of Zweig’s most compelling and unforgettable works.
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Twenty-Four Hours in the Life of a Woman Kindle Edition
by Stefan Zweig (Author), Anthea Bell (Translator) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars (310)
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The less I felt in myself, the more strongly I was drawn to those places where the whirligig of life spins most rapidly. So begins an extraordinary day in the life of Mrs C - recently bereaved and searching for excitement and meaning. Drawn to the bright lights of a casino, and the passion of a desperate stranger, she discovers a purpose once again but at what cost? In this vivid and moving tale of a compassionate woman, and her defining experience, Zweig explores the power of intense love, overwhelming loneliness and regret that can last for a lifetime.
Print length
97 pages
Language
English
==
Review
'The rediscovery of this extraordinary writer could well be on a par with last year's refinding of the long-lost Stoner, by John Williams' Simon Winchester, Daily Telegraph
'At once the literary heir of Chekhov, Conrad, and Maupassant' Harvard Review
'The Updike of his day... Zweig is a lucid writer, and Bell renders his prose flawlessly' New York Observer
'Zweig is the most adult of writers; civilised, urbane, but never jaded or cynical; a realist who nonetheless believed in the possibility--the necessity--of empathy' Independent
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From other countries
Tharanipathi Kumar
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on 10 August 2015
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Amazing Novel.
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Sagar
5.0 out of 5 stars Classic!!
Reviewed in India on 6 September 2018
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Very well written, poetic with choice of words and analogy is amazing. You will feel every word. One of the finest read. Classic!!
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L. Nery
5.0 out of 5 stars The astonishingly beautiful prose...
Reviewed in the United States on 16 March 2017
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I can barely find words to properly describe the intensity of this story. So much eloquence, it's truly dazzling! It's drenched in emotions, but also a lesson on careful writing - words are not wasted, even through all the usual luxuriousness of Zweig's writing. It is a vigorous narrative of which I could not take my eyes away long enough to realize I was not in Monte Carlo watching the hands of gamblers move through green cloth. This story will stay with me, and I look forward to reading much more from Zweig than what I already have.
12 people found this helpful
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recluse
2.0 out of 5 stars 賭博者の話
Reviewed in Japan on 3 August 2003
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ウィーンにいくと、今でもきれいに装丁されたＺＷＥＩＧの本をいつも本屋で見かけますが、私のドイツ語の知識ではとても読めたものではないのでいつも手にとって見かけるだけです。過去に読んだＺＷＥＩＧはフーシェや昨日の世界などのノン・フィクションだけだったので、今彼の小説を読もうと思っても、邦訳がほとんど絶版となっている今では、このような英訳が頼りです。話は、二つのテーマによってつづられます。つかみがたい女性の心理と賭博者の心理です。舞台はモンテカルロです。いうまでもなく、ＺＷＥＩＧの手にかかっては、この二つが１００ページという短いスペースの中で、発端から展開と帰結そしてどんでん返しへと、息をつく暇もなく、見事に語られます。ただあまりにもうまく作られた小品!という印象はぬぐえませんね。賭博者の話は、ドストエフスキーの同名の小説に酷似してしまうのは、どうしてなのでしょうかね。
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rigal
4.0 out of 5 stars les risques d'un aveuglement à tout âge
Reviewed in France on 27 March 2023
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comment survivre au déshonneur
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L. Young
4.0 out of 5 stars A Little Gem of a Novel
Reviewed in the United States on 13 September 2003
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Perhaps not as psychologically compelling and taut as some of Zweig's other work, this novella is still worth reading for it's fine writing. At a hotel in Monte Carlo in the days after World War I, a group of wealthy travelers are shocked to learn that a married woman of their set has suddenly left her husband and family on the arms of a seducer whom she has known less then twenty-four hours. Each guest chimes in with their opinion of the woman's extraordinary behavior. Our narrator expresses his understanding of the woman's actions while the others vehemently condemn the lady. Suddenly he finds himself the confidante of an older woman who is in the group. She tells him the tale of how twenty years earlier she too had been drawn to an intense younger man who she observed in the casino one evening. Zweig explores the motivations and the ramifications of a sudden act of passion.
15 people found this helpful
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hughdower
4.0 out of 5 stars A very perceptive account of life between the wars in Austria
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 May 2023
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I found out why the book is comparatively cheap. It is very short, and I read it in one sitting. Nonetheless, the recent translations of Zweig's works (all written before his suicide in 1942) are to be applauded, since he was an exceptionally perceptive writer, particularly in respect of female psychology.
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I. Melnick
5.0 out of 5 stars A little piece of art
Reviewed in the United States on 16 October 2020
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This is a wonderful book, well written by an author that understands the complexities of the human mind. I recommend it strongly
3 people found this helpful
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Umut Rados
5.0 out of 5 stars Love this book!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 July 2020
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This was my first Stefan Zweig and I really enjoyed it. It's a simple novella where an old woman tells about a day of her life to a complete stranger just to get it off her chest after all those years. It's a queer day she had and I found it really enjoyable to read about.
The way it was written was very intriguing, inviting the reader to turn the pages and learned about that day. It was packed with insight, emotion and very nice descriptions. I thought the translation by Anthea Bell was superb as well.
Definitely recommended if you like this kind of premises.
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Troy Fergen
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in the United States on 1 February 2016
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A humanist tries to help a young man coming to account for his gambling addiction.
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From other countries
Purdie
5.0 out of 5 stars Another amazing book by Zweig!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 August 2022
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How does one man have such incredible perception about human nature? Brilliant storyteller and great wordsmith. I would thoroughly recommend.
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Lourdes
5.0 out of 5 stars I highly recommend this book
Reviewed in the United States on 2 August 2019
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An incredible journey into a woman’s soul and how we hide things from ourselves and one day we finally let go
3 people found this helpful
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paul g
5.0 out of 5 stars Great short story
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 December 2021
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I love the books of Stefan Zweig and this short story doesn't disappoint.
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chopin
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on 28 October 2017
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Interesting and an excellent translation
One person found this helpful
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John Murray
5.0 out of 5 stars A delight
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 October 2018
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Wonderful novella. Easily read at one sitting. I'm going to buy more. I don't know why he fell out of favour. Time for a reappraisal.
Highly recommended
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Vivian Clark
4.0 out of 5 stars Game addiction and passion
Reviewed in the United States on 1 July 2020
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The two themes of this book. Two emotions hard to describe unless one has felt them. What a good writer Zweig is.
2 people found this helpful
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X.W.
1.0 out of 5 stars wrong title for the contents of a different story
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 August 2013
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The book I received has a different cover but the same title. The story is from that of another novella of Zweig: Letter from an unknown woman! What a mixed-up!
2 people found this helpful
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Filmfan
2.0 out of 5 stars Not the most gripping story by Stefan Zweig.
Reviewed in the United States on 4 July 2024
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A short story that could have been shorter, I’d say. Some of the writing slows down the story too much. The story gets interesting at the very end, and that lasts for only a few pages.
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James R. Calder
2.0 out of 5 stars She lost it at Monte Carlo
Reviewed in the United States on 3 November 2019
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A rich widow, after W1, loses her heart to a charming gambler at Monte and broods abt it for the next 20 years. Old-fashioned and not very perceptive. Zweig settles for schmaltz. He doesnt believe his own fable and neither do we.
2 people found this helpful
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Nancy Davis
2.0 out of 5 stars I read it for my book club and would not recommend it.
Reviewed in the United States on 7 July 2016
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this is a story about addiction and a woman who tries to rescue an addict. It was not very interesting: I read it for my book club and would not recommend it.
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Twenty Four Hours in the Life of a Woman & The Royal Game
Stefan Zweig
,
Anthea Bell
(Translator)
4.13
1,506 ratings77 reviews
In Twenty-four Hours in the Life of a Woman , the dramatic disappearance of the wife of a wealthy businessman from a small hotel on the French Riviera prompts a distinguished English widow to recount her fleeting encounter with a young aristocrat many years before in Monte Carlo. In The Royal Game, a tantalizing encounter takes place between the reigning world chess champion and an unknown passenger on a cruise ship bound for Buenos Aires. The stranger's diffident manner masks his extraordinary ability to challenge the grand master in a game of chess but also conceals his dark and damaged past, the horror of which emerges as the game unfolds.
Genres
Classics
Fiction
Short Stories
German Literature
212 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2006
This edition
Format
212 pages, Paperback
Published
January 1, 2006 by Pushkin Pr Ltd
ISBN
9781901285611 (ISBN10: 1901285618)
ASIN
1901285618
Language
English
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About the author
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Stefan Zweig
2,067 books10.1k followers
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Stefan Zweig was one of the world's most famous writers during the 1920s and 1930s, especially in the U.S., South America, and Europe. He produced novels, plays, biographies, and journalist pieces. Among his most famous works are Beware of Pity, Letter from an Unknown Woman, and Mary, Queen of Scotland and the Isles. He and his second wife committed suicide in 1942.
Zweig studied in Austria, France, and Germany before settling in Salzburg in 1913. In 1934, driven into exile by the Nazis, he emigrated to England and then, in 1940, to Brazil by way of New York. Finding only growing loneliness and disillusionment in their new surroundings, he and his second wife committed suicide.
Zweig's interest in psychology and the teachings of Sigmund Freud led to his most characteristic work, the subtle portrayal of character. Zweig's essays include studies of Honoré de Balzac, Charles Dickens, and Fyodor Dostoevsky (Drei Meister, 1920; Three Masters) and of Friedrich Hölderlin, Heinrich von Kleist, and Friedrich Nietzsche (Der Kampf mit dem Dämon, 1925; Master Builders). He achieved popularity with Sternstunden der Menschheit (1928; The Tide of Fortune), five historical portraits in miniature. He wrote full-scale, intuitive rather than objective, biographies of the French statesman Joseph Fouché (1929), Mary Stuart (1935), and others. His stories include those in Verwirrung der Gefühle (1925; Conflicts). He also wrote a psychological novel, Ungeduld des Herzens (1938; Beware of Pity), and translated works of Charles Baudelaire, Paul Verlaine, and Emile Verhaeren.
Most recently, his works provided the inspiration for 2014 film The Grand Budapest Hotel.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 77 reviews
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Paloma Meir
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9 books
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September 4, 2016
In the late 1930s a man sat down to write a book for a woman who wouldn't be born for many decades, and wouldn't read it for many more. This book belongs only to me. I'm going to go cry in my room.
Happy New Year.
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bookslover_roxana
50 reviews
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January 26, 2016
In love with Zweig ........ A fantastic writer indeed!
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Jack
178 reviews
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September 12, 2022
Made a brief pause between all fantasy and YA things I now read to try to remember something that we've been studying at school. This was like a gulp of fresh air.
I never understood Zweig back at school, and I now see why. "Twenty Four Hours in the Life of a Woman" is an ornate depiction of the difficulties of human psychology in a labyrinth grown by social standards of the time. All this just makes the emotions and feelings more and more intense, vivid, sharp.
This story is such a wonderful piece of art.
betrayals
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Maria
425 reviews
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May 10, 2024
This man can spend 4 pages describing a pair of hands, and I want to make that my holy text.
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Rasmiya
53 reviews
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June 10, 2019
Once again, Zweig at his best! Two short episodes from human life masterfully developed into attention-captivating and breath-taking novels. The topic of unhealthy game addiction (casino games and chess) passing like a red thread through both stories made it only reasonable to merge them in one book. But the stories touch on much more than that, the ability to understand before (or better still, instead) of judging being another one on the list of issues in focus.
And to add to this, Zweig shows his genius skill of describing human actions and the accompanying inner thoughts and emotions enabling one to see them as if in slow motion. The image of the game and the tension of game players was so vivid that I got absorbed too, with the resultant feeling of the blood throbbing in the temples. Highly recommended!
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Zeynep (The Realist Romantic)
131 reviews
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July 24, 2017
Bilinmeyen Bir Kadının Mektup'un üzerimde bıraktığı etkiyi bırakmadı ama yine de çok severek okudum. Yavaş yavaş bu yazarın diğer kitaplarını da okumak istiyorum. Kitaplarının hafif kasvetli havası ve güçlü kadınları yazma şekli çok hoşuma gidiyor
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Maria
4 reviews
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March 10, 2016
What an amazing insight to a woman's heart. Bravo, Stefan Zweig!
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Nigar Chingiz Maharramova
42 reviews
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July 3, 2024
“24 hours from a woman's life" - the depth and stunning description of all the heroine's experiences was amazing! I was thrilled!🫶
2024
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Thomas George Phillips
583 reviews
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March 16, 2022
Stefan Zweig, who penned, in my opinion, the most definitive biography of Marie Antoinette, has written another masterpiece in his short novella of "Twenty Fours Hours in the Life of a Woman." The story is told in the narrative style from a lady friend of Mrs. "C." Mrs. C is a wealthy widow of 42. Her husband died two years earlier. Both of her sons are grown. Mrs. C first meets this young man of 24 in the Casino at Monte Carlo. He is losing badly. She continues to watch and stare at him. She admires his youth and good looks. After he has lost all his money he wonders out onto the beach and settles down on a nearby bench. She follows him there, and then notices he has a revolver in hand. She becomes alarmed, and worries that this young man will harm himself. She approaches him and starts a conversation with him. He is from a noble family from Poland. Mrs. C convinces him to accompany her to a hotel where he can sleep for the night. While there makes an offer to him that if he swears off gambling for ever and returns to his family she will settles his gambling debts and fund his return home; he agrees. This novella was about a woman who assumed that passion has long since died, and had been revived by a brief encounter with a twenty-four year old man.
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James
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April 17, 2017
An excellent drama exploring the ways of the heart in old Europe, but not without enough dry passages of over-visualizing the nothingness that can happen in such a story, pages of watching a man not move on a park bench, or pages of descriptions of hands at a gambling table. Well written, no doubt, and the ending is worth the brief journey, but this particular outing is like a fine wine that's a bit too dry for my taste, hence the three out of five.
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