Written by Stefan Zweig, “The World of Yesterday” is a memoir, not only of his own life, but also of the Europe lost in The Second World War, finished only a little while before he took his own life. Zweig, an Austrian Jew, reminisces about his experiences growing up in pre-war Vienna, while still describing the struggles of the era. It was both a little jarring and absolutely beautiful the way he discussed how some of the utmost highlights of the lives of the people, especially youth, included reading, going to the Vienna opera house, and classical music, and it is an unfortunately striking contrast to the youth of the modern world, where it is in many ways looked down upon to pursue knowledge or the intellectual world. Personally, this is one of the most devastating trends of the current age, where so often reading and learning are either looked down upon or, in other ways, performative. Thus, reading about Vienna’s youth while Zweig was growing up was a fascinating experience. Zweig recalled his travels to Europe and some of the people he had known, including Theodor Herzl, Auguste Rodin, Sigmund Freud, and William Blake. He goes into depth about what he experienced and did during the rise of Hitler, and about how Europe, especially Austria, was post-war. 

I read this book a little while before I traveled to Austria, and I would highly recommend anyone who plans to travel to Austria to do the same; it shines an entirely new perspective on the experiences and sights. Vienna itself is absolutely extraordinary, but it feels different seeing the sights that Zweig discussed and knowing he walked in this very spot so many decades before. Re-reading The World of Yesterday after a trip to Austria, I was able to visualize what he was discussing and understand the contrasts between his experiences and those of the modern world. Even if one is not going to Austria, this book is a beautiful portrayal of how ideology, war, and time change a society. For those who love history, this book provides an ability to learn about European history while reading a fascinating narrative of a time so starkly different from the modern age, for the better or for the worse. I highly recommend this book.