George Prochnik Livres

A thematically rich, provocative, and lyrical study of one of Germany’s most important, world-famous, and imaginative writers "A concise, fast-paced biography of the German poet, critic, and essayist. . . . A discerning portrait of the writer and his times."— Kirkus Reviews Heinrich Heine (1797–1856) was a virtuoso German poet, satirist, and visionary humanist whose dynamic life story and strikingly original writing are ripe for rediscovery.   In this vividly imagined exploration of Heine’s life and work, George Prochnik contextualizes Heine’s biography within the different revolutionary political, literary, and philosophical movements of his age. He also explores the insights Heine offers contemporary readers into issues of social justice, exile, and the role of art in nurturing a more equitable society.   Heine wrote that in his youth he resembled “a large newspaper of which the upper half contained the present, each day with its news and debates, while in the lower half, in a succession of dreams, the poetic past was recorded fantastically like a series of feuilletons.”   This book explores the many dualities of Heine’s nature, bringing to life a fully dimensional character while also casting into sharp relief the reasons his writing and personal story matter urgently today.

**The Impossible Exile** chronicles the life of Austrian writer Stefan Zweig, who became the most translated living author by the 1930s. After Hitler's rise, Zweig faced isolation and despair, ultimately leading to his tragic suicide in 1942. The biography explores his remarkable journey and the cultural divide between Europe and America.

Exploring themes of family history and future aspirations, the narrative delves into personal imagination as a powerful force for social transformation. It captures a journey of self-discovery and renewal, highlighting how individual experiences can inspire broader societal shifts.

An original study of exile, told through the biography of Austrian writer Stefan Zweig, the man who inspired The Grand Budapest Hotel By the 1930s, Stefan Zweig had become the most widely translated living author in the world. His novels, short stories, and biographies were so compelling that they became instant best sellers. Zweig was also an intellectual and a lover of all the arts, high and low. Yet after Hitler’s rise to power, this celebrated writer who had dedicated so much energy to promoting international humanism plummeted, in a matter of a few years, into an increasingly isolated exile—from London to Bath to New York City, then Ossining, Rio, and finally Petrópolis—where, in 1942, in a cramped bungalow, he killed himself. The Impossible Exile tells the tragic story of Zweig’s extraordinary rise and fall while it also depicts, with great acumen, the gulf between the world of ideas in Europe and in America, and the consuming struggle of those forced to forsake one for the other. It also reveals how Zweig embodied, through his work, thoughts, and behavior, the end of an era—the implosion of Europe as an ideal of Western civilization.

This work delves into the intricate relationship between noise and silence, examining their impact on society and individual experience. It highlights the increasing conflict as modern life becomes inundated with sound, while also celebrating the profound significance of silence. Through a thoughtful analysis, the book invites readers to consider the implications of soundscapes in contemporary culture and the importance of finding balance in an increasingly noisy world.

A daring, singular biography of one of the great forgotten thinkers of the 20th century - Gershom Scholem, the founder of modern Kabbalah.

Um 1930 war Stefan Zweig zum weltweit meistübersetzten lebenden Schriftsteller avanciert. Doch dieser Erfolg des 1881 geborenen Wieners wurde schon bald überschattet vom Machtantritt Hitlers. Der Kosmopolit verließ den alten Kontinent und ließ sich 1941 in dem von ihm als „Land der Zukunft“ gepriesenen Brasilien nieder. „Endlich ein Ruhepunkt“, hoffte er nach seiner Ankunft in der tropischen Stadt Petrópolis. Ein halbes Jahr später, am 23. Februar 1942, schieden er und seine junge Frau Lotte „aus freiem Willen und mit klaren Sinnen“ aus dem Leben. Am Tag, da er seinen Pass verlor, im Alter von 58 Jahren, habe er entdeckt, bekannte Stefan Zweig, “dass man mit seiner Heimat mehr verliert als einen Fleck umgrenzter Erde". Ausgerechnet diesem in Wien geborenen Weltbürger entglitt im Exil zunehmend das Leben. Höchst einfühlsam erzählt George Prochnik, selbst Nachfahre von Wiener Emigranten, diese tragische Geschichte eines Aufbruchs in die neue Welt, der von England über die USA nach Brasilien führt. Zugleich macht er sichtbar, welche Abgründe die geistige Welt des alten Europa, die Zweig in seinen nachgelassenen Erinnerungen so grandios heraufbeschworen hat, von der Nord- und Südamerikas trennten.