Extraordinary Coincidences: "The World of Yesterday" by Stefan Zweig
(Original Review from the German and English editions, 2002-06-05)
"The World of Yesterday" has its flaws - some of the scenes that Zweig claims to have witnessed, particularly around the outbreak and conclusion of the Great War seem such extraordinary coincidences as to be barely credible. And on the subject of style, it's hard for a non-native German speaker to judge, so the opinion of Michael Hofmann - who's such a magnificent and sympathetic translator of Zweig's far greater contemporary Joseph Roth - has to carry some weight.
If you're into stuff like this, you can read the full review.
