Houston-Leipzig Presents Dr. Klaus Weissenberger on “Stefan Zweig’s Works in Exile – a Forgotten Mastery”

Stefan Zweig

Do you remember how our board member Dr. Klaus Weissenberger holds us spellbound when he takes us on a literary journey?  Our meeting on Thursday, April 19, 2012, promises to be another treat, when Professor Weissenberger will present Stefan Zweig:  Works in Exile – A Forgotten Mastery.

Stefan Zweig (1881-1942), was born in Vienna, the capital of the  Austrian-Hungarian Empire. His parents belonged to the upper class Jewish circle in Vienna.  In his youth, he traveled throughout Europe and led a bohemian-like life. After World War I, he married his first wife Friderike and moved with her to Salzburg, where he stayed until 1934. During these years he established his reputation as one of the most famous writers  in the world, which continued until his death in 1942.  Despite Hitler’s failed coup d’état of Austria in 1934, Zweig envisioned more Nazi infiltrations of Austria and left immediately for London. He stayed in England until the summer of 1940, when he left Europe together with his second wife Lotte Altmann, whom he had married at the beginning of the war. They only had  transit visas for the United States, but had received permanent visas for Brazil which Zweig had visited in 1936. For that reason, the couple settled in Petropolis, a small town in the mountains near Rio de Janeiro. There they committed suicide on February 23, 1942.  This death shocked all Nazi-exiles.  Many considered it a betrayal of the exile cause, and due to  it, Zweig’s reputation as a writer suffered severely; however, unjustifiably so, because his literary works continue to  delight those who are willing to approach them without prejudice.

Zweig, once the world’s most famous writer, has been enjoying a comeback during the last twenty years; he is still relevant to us and our world.   America was wild about his books, and now there is a renaissance in his popularity.  Available in print or online, his works are being published and sold through a number of different venues.

For instance,  Amazon’s Stefan Zweig Page shows  103 results, consisting of books and readings on CD’s by and about Stefan Zweig:  check out this selection .  The Plunkett Lake Press is publishing e-books by and about Stefan Zweig.  To see their offering, please click here .  The Pushkin Press publishes translations of classic and contemporary literature that “change the way you look at the world.”  Its nineteen most popular titles include four books by Stefan Zweig: take a look at them here .

Dr. Klaus Weissenberger is Professor of German in the Department of German & Slavic Studies at Rice University in Houston, Texas, where he has taught since 1971.  He was the chair of the German Department for several terms, altogether 16 years, and he and his wife were Masters of Hanszen College for six years.

He has published extensively during his academic career, and is the author of Formen der Elegie von Goethe bis Celan (1969), Die Elegie bei Paul Celan (1969), Zwischen Stein und Stern: Mystische Formgebung bei Else Lasker-Schüler, Nelly Sachs und Paul Celan (1976). He has edited the scholarly essay volumes Die deutsche Lyrik von 1945 bis 1975. Zwischen Botschaft und Spiel (1981) and  Prosakunst ohne Erzählen. Die Gattungen der nicht-fiktionalen Kunstprosa (1985) and the edition of  Wilhelm Lehmann, Band 4: Romane III. Der Provinzlärm (1986). In his articles of the last two decades, he has concentrated on non-fictional prose works by modern German authors, mainly during their exile from Nazi-Germany.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Weissenberger on Thursday, April  19, 2012, at 6:30 p.m. at Christ the King Lutheran Church, 2353 Rice Boulevard, Houston, TX  77005.  The lecture and discussion will be in English.

We will begin the evening with our customary food and beverage reception in the Parish Hall, the program starts at 7:00 p.m.  Parking is available at the Rice University parking lot off Greenbriar across the street from the church.  Meeting fees are $15 for nonmembers, $10 for members, and $5 for students.

Registration will be at 6:15 p.m.  Please RSVP to angelika@houstonleipzig.org now so that we can plan properly for the reception.  We are looking forward to seeing you on Thursday evening.