no, guys, it isn't that zweig...i am grateful for my book club for wrenching me out of the world of teen fiction, if only momentarily. even though i have been enjoying some of the teen stuff, sometimes i just want to read about someone older than myself. otherwise i just feel elderly and out of touch.this book contains four short stories; three parts devotion, one part despair.i am not sure if this review is the road to spoiler city, but i am going to discuss the situation that links these four stories together, because i figure if there is a collection of similar-situation stories, the publisher did it for a reason, and it is no secret. for example, this book: is about zombie love stories. secret's out. rarrrr.this zweig book contains four suicide stories. and maybe it is just a sick joke on the part of pushkin press because zweig did of course end up a double suicide with his wife, but i think apart from that biographical fact, the end result in these stories is of no consequence; it is the process each character takes to get to that point that is more interesting than the punch line.i was told by a german woman that zweig was all head, no heart. and i thought to myself, "great, another book for this group that is all cerebral bullshit* like death in venice or the lover and why can't we read something with balls for a change?" but this is oozing heart. maybe it actually gains something in translation. all of the characters in these stories feel love or duty so deeply that their own lives become secondary and when they have caused displeasure, or are to be separated from their object, or when their duty has been performed or their plans are obstructed, they have no choice - they cannot go on living. and that is so much more romantic than restraint, than moping about it and moving on. as character studies, they are fascinating.i don't want to go into too much detail because 1) i am coming down from a brownie-scarfing-project-runway-finale high, 2) i am super sleepy, and 3) these stories are so short, that if i mention even three words of plot, there's half the story gone.but i do believe i will be reading more of his work - and i love pushkin press and their handy-sized beautifully textured books, and their impressive list of authors. let's pretend this review is better and more informative than it is so i can go to bed. * by which i simply mean it does not fulfill my need for the tragically melodramatic in all my love stories.
On a night when the moon has cast its brightest sheen over the darkest night sky, I will think of Zweig! This is because I have experienced the most beautiful moonlight reveries in several of his short stories. When gazing upon the brightest star in the sky on a moonless night, I will think of Francois, the waiter from The Star Above The Forest, because I will remember how I cried for him as he stared at that star above the trees of that forest. When I think of my Star Man ;), I will often be reminded of the doctor in Amok, because they are brothers of deep, fatalistic passions.This is the beauty of that of Zweig’s writing I’ve had the pleasure of reading so far. The characters and settings attach themselves to your thoughts and remain there long after you’ve discovered them. I’m so thankful Zweig left such a rich body of work to be relished and explored, regardless of the tragic & too early ending of his life stemmed by uncertain world events. I want to keep him in my life as long as possible - so to speak. Though I’m quite an eclectic reader in that I find value in many types of writing & genres & in what some may consider shabby literature, it’s nice to know that when I want to read something in which I will be assured substance with maximum impact, something I consider interesting company and that finely tunes me into the human psyche, that I will have Zweig’s writing to immerse myself in. He is the best short story writer I’ve read so far and from the looks of the ratings here on GoodReads and the opinions of a trusted literary advisor ;), I expect it will stay that way. I look forward to experiencing his nonfiction and longer fiction. Without a doubt you are cheating yourself if you haven’t taken a look at his work!Amok = 4 starsLeporella = 5 starsThe Star Above the Forest = 5 stars4th story (can't remember title) = 3 stars
What do You think about Amok (2006)?
"I had seen a new world, I had taken in turbulent, confused images that raced wildly through my mind. Now I wanted leisure to think, to analyze and organize them, make sense of all that had impressed itself on my mind." - Stefan Zweig, AmokI can relate to the above quote so well. I love the poetic, introspective tone...A brilliant book. It's only my second Zweig book but I love him already. Zweig is a wonderful craftsman of short stories and these ones in are just stunning. They are all tragic tales and each story deals with some sort of obsession. The psychological depth of the characters is what fascinated me the most. It's easy to tell that Zweig really tried to understand the subconscious and the reason people do what they do.Highly recommended.
—Rowena
Bir öykü kitabı olduğu için derlemeden derlemeye değişiyor yorumlar ancak ben Yordam Kitap'ın bastığı Amok'u çok beğendim. Tanışma kitabım olmasına rağmen şimdiden zweig'ın yeri benim için ayrı oldu.Karakterlerin psikolojik durumu ve betimlemeler yoğun olmasına rağmen o kadar gerçek ve orjinaldi ki hayran kaldım. Genelde betimlemelerde aşırıya kaçınılır onu da koyalım hadi bunu da söyleyelim denile denile bayağı bir eser konulur önümüze ancak bu kitapta ustalıkla dengelenmişti. Editör şöyle de yapsaymış, şurayı uyarsaymış demediğim nadir eserlerden.Çeviri gerçekten çok güzeldi. Kelime çeşitliliği yakalanabilmiş cümleler güzel kurulmuştu.Baskıda da göze çarpan hiçbir hata yoktu.Gelelim öykülerin içeriğine:Amok'u okuduktan sonra bu şekilde bağlanmasına çok şaşırdım ve karakterin yaşadıkları ve psikolojisi beni çok düşündürdü.Usta işi'nde yoksulca bir kadının çantasından para çalan hırsıza klişe bir acıklılık yaratılmamasına rağmen hayran kalmadan edemedim.Görünmez koleksiyon ise durup düşünmeme en çok sebep olanıydı. Oldukça basit ve olaysız bir konusu olmasına karşın kısaca aslında sadece öyle olması hayaliyle nasıl mutlu olunabileceğini anlatılıyor.
—Selin
The novel itself says the "Amok" is Malay in origin and indeed it is also considered a Tagalog word. Another Tagalog word for it is "hurumentado"--someone doing a suicidal run that involves indiscriminate attacks/killings and usually ends up in the hurumentado's own death. Zweig's Amok, a doctor of medicine, theorized that the cause of this "going on the rampage, a sort of human form of rabies...a paroxysm of murderous, mindless monomania which isn't comparable to any alcoholic poisoning" has something to do "with the climate, with that sultry, oppressive atmosphere that plays on your nerves like a thunderstorm until they snap..."It took more than the climate for the doctor to run Amok here, however. He was in agony already about almost everything in his life, his being uprooted from his country, his boring sex/love-life, and his career which had been irreparably harmed by an indiscretion, when he met this woman who had such an effect on him that he found himself with an insurmountable feeling of guilt when he failed to save her from ruin.In one scene, as the doctor narrates:"...I booked a room in the Strand Hotel and took two bottles of whisky up there..those and an double dose of veronal helped me...in the end I fell asleep...and this heavy, unhealthy sleep was the only pause there was in this race between life and death."In February 1942, after hearing that Singapore had fallen to the Japanese, and after arranging their affairs and writing farewell letters Zweig and his wife Lotte took massive doses of veronal and died.
—Joselito Honestly and Brilliantly
