1881
Vienna, 28 November 1881
Stefan Zweig is born the second son of
Ida and
Moriz Zweig
at 14, Schottenring.
1892
Vienna, April 1892
After completing elementary school at Werdertorgasse, Stefan
Zweig attends the Maximilian-Gymnasium (now known as the Gymnasium Wasagasse)
for the next eight years.1895
Vienna, 1895
The Zweig family moves to an apartment at 17, Rathausstrasse.1897
Vienna, 10 March 1897
The 15-year-old Stefan Zweig writes his earliest still
extant letter, addressed to the novelist
Georg
Ebers.
1900
Vienna, 3 October 1900
Stefan Zweig enrols at the University of Vienna to read philosophy and the
history of literature.1901
Berlin, April 1901
Silberne Saiten (Strings of Silver), a volume of poetry
comprising 61 poems by Stefan Zweig, is published by Schuster &
Loeffler.Westerwede near Bremen, June 1901
In appreciation of having received a presentation copy of
Silberne Saiten,
Rainer
Maria Rilke sends Stefan Zweig a personally inscribed copy of his
own poetry collection,
Frühling.
1902
Berlin, 8 April 1902
For his fourth semester, Stefan Zweig enrols at the
Friedrich-Wilhelms University (now the Humboldt University) in Berlin.Brussels, August 1902
Stefan Zweig first meets the Belgian poet
Émile Verhaeren, then makes a journey to Paris.
1904
Vienna, 19 April 1904
Zweig is awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.Berlin, October 1904
Stefan Zweig’s book Die Liebe der Erika Ewald is
published by Egon Fleischel & Co. The volume contains the novellas Die Liebe der Erika Ewald (The Love of Erika Ewald), Der Stern über dem Walde (The Star Above the Forest), Die Wanderung (The Journey), and Die Wunder des
Lebens (The Miracles of Life).1906
April through August 1906
A visit to London, with excursions to Oxford, York, and Oban (Scotland).
Zweig stops at Liège and Brussels on the journey out, and at Berlin on the return.Leipzig, November 1906
Die frühen Kränze (Early Wreaths) appears, Zweig’s first book to
be published by Insel Verlag, containing 49 poems.Vienna, 17 November 1906
For Die frühen Kränze, Zweig is awarded an
honorary gift as one of several recipients of the Bauernfeld Prize.1907
Vienna, 1 February 1907
Zweig moves into his first own apartment at 8, Kochgasse.1908
Leipzig, March 1908
The play Tersites, printed in 1907, is
distributed to booksellers by Insel Verlag.
Early December 1908 through end of March 1909
Zweig sets out from Trieste on a voyage to India, Burma (now Myanmar),
and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Return voyage on the steamer Lützow via Italy to France;
stopping at Paris.1911
22 February through 21 April 1911
Departs from Cherbourg for New York City on the passenger steamer S.S.
St. Paul. Subsequent visits to Philadelphia, Boston, Baltimore and Chicago as well as to
Canada, Bermuda, Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, and Panama.Leipzig, November 1911
A volume of short stories, Erstes Erlebnis. Vier
Geschichten aus Kinderland (First Experience: Four Stories from the Land of
Childhood), is published by Insel Verlag. It contains: Geschichte in
der Dämmerung (A Story Told in Twilight), Die Gouvernante
(The Governess), Brennendes Geheimnis (Burning Secret), and Sommernovellette (A Summer Novella).1912
Leipzig, 12 July 1912
The first volumes of the Insel-Bücherei series,
in the conception of which Zweig had a part, are distributed.1914
14 July 1914
Trip to Marienbad and then on to Le Coq near Ostend in Belgium.
28 July 1914
Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia; beginning of the First World
War.
30 July 1914
Stefan Zweig returns from Belgium to Vienna by train.Vienna, 1 December 1914
Zweig commences his military service at the War Archives in the
Stiftskaserne barracks.1915
14 through 26 July 1915
Mission to the Galician theatre of war. 1916
Kalksburg, April 1916
Zweig takes lodgings in Kalksburg near Rodaun, on the outskirts of
Vienna, where
Friderike von Winternitz
lives with her two daughters,
Alix and
Suse.
1917
27 October 1917
Buys villa in Salzburg at 5, Kapuzinerberg.
13 November 1917
Visits Zurich with
Friderike von
Winternitz. Previously given leave from military service for two lectures.
Subsequent work as newspaper correspondent in Switzerland.
1918
Zurich, 27 February 1918
First performance of Zweig’s play Jeremias at
the Zurich Municipal Theatre, in the presence of the author.
11 November 1918
Armistice between the belligerent powers. The conditions of peace will
be negotiated at Versailles over the next years.1919
24 March 1919
Zweig returns to Austria from Switzerland.1920
Vienna, 28 January 1920
Stefan Zweig marries
Friderike von
Winternitz by proxy: at the ceremony in the town hall, she is represented by
the couple’s common friend,
Felix
Braun.
Leipzig, 17 February 1920
In the Börsenblatt für den deutschen Buchhandel,
the journal of the German book trade, Insel Verlag announces the series Bibliotheca Mundi, to be edited by Stefan Zweig.Leipzig, May 1920
Insel Verlag publishes Drei Meister (Three
Masters), to be promoted as the first volume in the series Die
Baumeister der Welt (Master Builders of the World) from 1925 onwards. It contains
the essays Balzac, Dickens, and Dostojewski.1921
22 March through 13 April 1921
Journey through Italy with
Friderike.
1922
20 March through 1 April 1922
Visit to Paris.Leipzig, October 1922
Amok: Novellen einer Leidenschaft (Amok: Novellas of a Passion)
is published by Insel Verlag. The volume contains Der Amokläufer
(Amok), Die Frau und die Landschaft (The Woman and the
Landscape), Brief einer Unbekannten (Letter from an Unknown
Woman), Phantastische Nacht (Fantastic Night), and Die Mondscheingasse (Moonbeam Alley).1924
Leipzig, March 1924
Insel Verlag publishes Die gesammelten Gedichte
(Collected Poems).1925
Leipzig, April 1925
Insel Verlag publishes Der Kampf mit dem Dämon
(The Struggle With the Daemon) as the second volume of Die Baumeister
der Welt, containing the essays Hölderlin, Heinrich von Kleist, and Friedrich
Nietzsche.
4 through 14 June 1925
Journey via Munich to Leipzig. Zweig meets
Romain Rolland at the German Handel Festival, then together they
travel onwards to Weimar, where they visit the Nietzsche Archive and
Elisabeth Förster-Nietzsche. Return to Salzburg
via Dresden, Reichenberg, and Vienna.
1926
Vienna, 2 March 1926
Stefan Zweig’s father
Moriz
Zweig dies, aged 80.
Leipzig, September 1926
Insel Verlag publishes Verwirrung der Gefühle,
containing the novellas Vierundzwanzig Stunden aus dem Leben einer
Frau (Twenty-Four Hours in the Life of a Woman), Untergang
eines Herzens (Downfall of a Heart), and Verwirrung der
Gefühle (Confusion). The first printing is post-dated 1927.Vienna, 6 November 1926
First performance of
Volpone. Eine lieblose Komödie
in drei Akten, based on
Ben Jonson’s
play, at the Burgtheater. Stefan Zweig does not attend.
23 November through 14 December 1926
Tour of Germany. Reads from his novellas and gives lectures on
Romain Rolland in Dresden, Mainz, Wiesbaden,
Essen, Cologne, Aachen, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Duisburg, and Berlin.
1927
Leipzig, October 1927
Sternstunden der Menschheit. Fünf historische Miniaturen
(Decisive Moments in History) is published as volume 165 of the Insel Bücherei series.
This first edition contains five historical miniatures: Die
Weltminute von Waterloo. Napoleon und Grouchy (The World Minute of Waterloo), Die Marienbader Elegie. Goethe zwischen Karlsbad und Weimar (The
Elegy of Marienbad), Die Entdeckung Eldorados. J. A. Suter,
Kalifornien (The Discovery of Eldorado), Heroischer
Augenblick. Dostojewski, Petersburg Semenowskplatz (Heroic Moment), and Der Kampf um den Südpol. Kapitän Scott, 90. Breitengrad (The Fight
for the South Pole).1928
Leipzig, May 1928
Insel Verlag publishes the third and final volume in the series Master Builders of the World: the collection Drei Dichter ihres
Lebens (Three Poets of Their Life), containing the biographical essays Casanova, Stendhal, and Tolstoy.
7 through 20 September 1928
Visit to Russia on the occasion of the centenary of
Leo Tolstoy’s birth. Stefan Zweig
records his impressions of the journey in a
notebook.
1929
Salzburg, 13 May 1929
First encounter with
Joseph
Roth.
Leipzig, September 1929
Insel Verlag publishes Joseph Fouché. Bildnis eines
politischen Menschen (Joseph Fouché: Portrait of a Politician).Vienna, 13 October 1929
At the Burgtheater, Stefan Zweig delivers his
eulogy in memory of
Hugo von Hofmannsthal, who died on 15 July 1929.
1931
Leipzig, February 1931
Insel Verlag publishes Die Heilung durch den
Geist (Healing Through the Spirit), containing the essays Franz Anton Mesmer, Mary Baker Eddy, and Sigmund Freud.Munich, 28 November 1931
Stefan Zweig celebrates his 50th birthday at the Restaurant Schwarz, with
Carl Zuckmayer his only guest.
Leipzig, November 1931
Insel Verlag publishes
Bibliographie der Werke von
Stefan Zweig. Dem Dichter zum 50. Geburtstag dargebracht (a
Bibliography of the Works of Stefan Zweig, Presented to the Author on his
50th Birthday), compiled by
Fritz Adolf
Hünich and
Erwin Rieger. It
contains several hundred entries of original editions of his books, translations, and
essays.
1932
Leipzig, October 1932
Insel Verlag publishes the biography Marie
Antoinette: Bildnis eines mittleren Charakters (Marie Antoinette: The Portrait of
an Average Woman).1933
Bern, 12 March 1933
Stefan Zweig reads his poems
Der Bildner (The
Sculptor) and
Hymnus an die Reise (Hymn to Travel) for a Swiss
radio broadcast, producing what are today
the only extant recordings of his voice.
Leipzig, 14 October 1933
The
Börsenblatt für den deutschen Buchhandel
publishes without authorization a letter by Stefan Zweig to his publisher
Anton Kippenberg, in which he distances
himself from the journal
Die Sammlung, edited by
Klaus Mann. Subsequently, Zweig breaks with
Insel Verlag.
20 October through 9 December 1933
Visit to London, begins work on Maria Stuart,
returns via Paris.1934
Salzburg, around 17 February 1934
Police search Zweig’s Kapuzinerberg villa for stashed weapons of the
illegal Republican Protection League. Incensed, Zweig deregisters with the Salzburg
authorities and moves to London, renting a flat at 11 Portland Place.London, March or April 1934
Zweig hires
Lotte Altmann,
a refugee from Germany, as his secretary.
Vienna, end of October 1934
Triumph und Tragik des Erasmus von Rotterdam (Erasmus) is
privately published by Herbert Reichner. The trade edition, post-dated to 1935, appears
in December.1935
10 January through 7 February 1935
Voyage to New York on the Conte di Savoia, sailing from Nice. In New
York, Zweig repeatedly meets with the American publisher
Ben Huebsch. Returns 30 January on the S.S. Manhattan, docking at
London around 7 February.
Vienna, April 1935
Herbert Reichner Verlag publishes the biography Maria
Stuart (The Queen of Scots).Dresden, 24 June 1935
First performance of
Richard
Strauss‘
Die schweigsame Frau (The Silent Woman) at the State Opera of
Saxony. The libretto is by Stefan Zweig, based on a comedy by
Ben Jonson. Due to the Jewish descent of Zweig,
who does not attend at Dresden, the opera is banned by the National Socialist government
after four performances.
1936
London, 12 March 1936
Zweig relocates to a flat in 49 Hallam Street.Vienna, May 1936
Herbert Reichner Verlag publishes Castellio gegen
Calvin oder Ein Gewissen gegen die Gewalt (The Right to Heresy).
8 August through 6 October 1936
Voyage from Southampton to Brazil and Argentina on the RMS Alcantara,
docking at Vigo and Lisbon. Arrives at Rio de Janeiro 21 August. Several excursions,
including to Petrópolis. On 26 August he reads from
Der begrabene
Leuchter (The Buried Candelabrum) before the Jewish congregation, for the benefit
of the European refugees. On 27 August he gives a speech on
Die geistige Einheit der Welt
(The Spiritual Unity of the World). Continues his journey on 28 August via São
Paulo to Santos, from there to Buenos Aires on the Highland Brigade. Participates in the
International PEN Congress, lasting from 4 to 14 September. Returns on 16 September on
the RMS Almanzora, docking at Southampton on 6 October.
1937
Salzburg, 5 through 7 May
1937
The Kapuzinerberg villa is cleared and prepared for sale.Vienna, November 1937
Herbert Reichner Verlag publish their last book by Stefan
Zweig, Magellan, post-dated to 1938.
26 November through 2 December 1937
Flies from London to Prague, then travels onwards to Vienna. Last visit
to his mother
Ida Zweig, also his last
visit to Austria. Returns to London via Zurich.
1938
11 through 13 March 1938
German troops march into Austria in the night of 11/12 March. The
"Anschluss", Austria’s annexation to the German Reich, is proclaimed on 13
March.Salzburg, 30 April 1938
Only public book burning in Austria. Among the books destroyed are works
by Stefan Zweig.Vienna, 23 August 1938
Ida Zweig dies, aged 83 years.
Stockholm and Amsterdam, November
1938
The exile publishers Bermann-Fischer and Allert de Lange publish the
German edition of the novel Ungeduld des Herzens (The Impatient
Heart), post-dated to 1939.Salzburg, 22 November 1938
Friderike and Stefan Zweig
are divorced at the District Court of Salzburg. Only their lawyers appear at court.
17 December 1938 through 8 March 1939
Voyage from Southampton to New York City, accompanied by
Lotte Altmann. Lecture tour of the USA and
Canada, with venues including Philadelphia, Boston, Indianapolis, Chicago, Minneapolis,
Detroit, Cincinnati, Toledo, Kansas City, Houston, New Orleans, San Antonio, Dallas,
Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Toronto. Stefan Zweig
alternates between the lectures
History of tomorrow
and
The Secret of Artistic Creation
. Return to Southampton on the Normandie.
1939
1 September 1939
Beginning of the Second World War.Bath, 6 September 1939
Stefan Zweig and
Lotte
Altmann are married.
Bath, 13 September 1939
The Zweigs buy Rosemount House.1940
15 March 1940
Stefan and
Lotte Zweig
officially become subjects of the British Crown.
10 through 29 April 1940
Research and speaking trip to Paris.Paris, 26 April 1940
Zweig delivers a lecture on
La Vienne d'hier
at the Théâtre Marigny.
25 June through 7 July 1940
Stefan and
Lotte Zweig
leave Europe, sailing from Liverpool for New York on the Scythia.
9 through 21 August 1940
Onward journey from New York to Rio de Janeiro on the S.S. Argentina.
Zweig begins research for a book on Brazil.1941
15 through 23 January 1941
Plane trip from Rio de Janeiro to New York City via Salvador de Bahia
and several Brazilian states.Ossining, NY, 1 through 30
July 1941
Zweig works on his autobiographical account Die Welt
von Gestern (The World of Yesterday) at the rented house 7 Ramapo Road in
Ossining, north of New York City.
15 through 27 August 1941
Returns from New York to Rio de Janeiro on the S.S. Uruguay.Petrópolis, 17 September 1941
The Zweigs move into a rented house at 34 Rua Gonçalves Dias.Stockholm, November 1941
Bermann-Fischer Verlag publishes Brasilien. Ein Land
der Zukunft (Brazil, Land of the Future).1942
Petrópolis, 22 February 1942
Stefan and
Lotte Zweig
write several farewell letters to family members and friends.
Petrópolis, 23 February 1942
Stefan and
Lotte Zweig
take their lives together in their home at Petrópolis.
Petrópolis, 24 February 1942
Stefan and
Lotte Zweig are
given a Jewish-rite funeral at the Catholic cemetery.
Stockholm, October 1942
Bermann-Fischer Verlag publishes Die Welt von
Gestern. Erinnerungen eines Europäers (The World of Yesterday) in German.Buenos Aires, December 1942
The first German-language edition of Schachnovelle (The Royal Game) is published in a limited edition by Pigmalión
Verlag.1946
Stockholm, November 1946
The German first edition of Stefan Zweig’s biography of
Balzac, edited by
Richard
Friedenthal from an unfinished manuscript in Zweig’s posthumous papers, appears
at Bermann-Fischer Verlag.