📚 1 Books mentioned in "586. How Does the Lost World of Vienna Still Shape Our Lives? | Freakonomics Radio" of Freakonomics Radio
Podcast: Freakonomics Radio
Episode: 586. How Does the Lost World of Vienna Still Shape Our Lives? | Freakonomics Radio
Published on May 2, 2024
Here’s a list of all the books mentioned in this episode. Click on the links to watch specific excerpts on YouTube and feel free to purchase the books if they caught your interest!
Stefan Zweig
Buy Stefan Zweig by Stefan Zweig Symposium on Amazon
The great Viennese writer Stefan Zweig, who killed himself in 1942, left behind a memoir called 'The World of Yesterday.' It is a heartbreaking book about a Vienna that, in retrospect, didn't stand a chance.
The podcast host discusses a memoir by the great Viennese writer Stefan Zweig, entitled 'The World of Yesterday.' This poignant work reflects on a lost Vienna and its rich history.
So my sense is that Vienna, before World War I, was like that. That's certainly the impression I get from reading Stefan Zweig's 'The World of Yesterday.' I mean, there was a lot of disruption in the visual arts especially; you know, Egon Schiele's extremely intense and very sexualized paintings, which landed him in prison for a bit.
The podcast host reflects on his impression of Vienna before World War I, which is reinforced by reading Stefan Zweig's book, 'The World of Yesterday.'
This is what Stefan Zweig writes about 'The World of Yesterday'—even more so in retrospect, because, of course, post-war Vienna, 1918, was so appalling, anything before then looked like a golden age.
The podcast host references Stefan Zweig's 'The World of Yesterday' in a discussion about how life in pre-war Vienna is viewed as a Golden Age, especially when compared to the dire circumstances following the war.
Here is a passage from 'The World of Yesterday' by Stefan Zweig, which he finished just before he and his wife killed themselves in 1942: 'In its liberal idealism, the 19th century was honestly convinced that it was on the straight and unfailing path toward being the best of all worlds; earlier eras, with their wars, famines, and revolts, were deprecated as times when mankind was still immature and unenlightened.'
The podcast host quotes a passage from Stefan Zweig's book, 'The World of Yesterday', reflecting on the liberal ideals of the 19th century.