Customer Reviews

Wondrak and other stories

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Three stories-one uncompleted. 'In the Snow'; a Towns Jews flee the fanatical Flagellants, 'Compulsion'; an artist in exile in Switzerland feels compelled to answer his call up, and the wonderous 'Wondrak', the unfinished tale of a disfigured woman trying to keep her son away from the war.

As with all Zweig's work, each tale is exceptional, bright and original. 'In the Snow' and 'Wondrak' read almost like classical fairy tales. Absolutely breathtaking.

'Wondrak' loses nothing from being 'unfinished'. It stands well how it is, the only thing being (considering the title and Zweig's use of such)that Woderak would have had far more to do in the tale had it continued.

Zweig was a convinced pacifist and spoke out against any moral justification for war; how little it means to most people expected to give up their lives for it;its invidious encroachment and unyielding bureaucracy.

In Zweig's time, war was fought solely for unjustifiable imperialistic puposes with the First World war being its zenith-a war fought for medieval ideals in a medieval fashion. But the Second World War-although having its basis in stupidity(the treaty of Versailles; political dogmas)-there surely comes a point where war is justified or needed. Although edges will always remain blurred, pure evil needs to be opposed for humanities sake. In the World away from the days of imperialistic war, total pacifism has to be questiones, although it is surely the highest of all human philosophies.

Sadly, wars are made by dangerous fools, and there's a whole world full of them out there.

Zweig, however, is a genious and a great light to follow.