The Governess and Other Stories

Book excerpt: This selection of novellas, translated by the award-winning Anthea Bell, begins with' Did He Do It?' A curious whodunit set in England, it nonetheless has the extraordinary psychological insight that typifies Zweig's best work. 'The Miracles of Life' explores the conflicting forces of belief and art, love and obsession, amidst the religious struggles of Renaissance Antwerp. Finally, two Viennese stories, 'The Governess' and 'Downfall of the Heart' are shattering in their portrayal of disillusionment - two little girls move from cosy chidlhood to the cold glare of adulthood in a single morning, and a father's heart breaks irrevocably. Wide-ranging and compelling, this is another brilliant collection of stories from Austria's rediscovered master of twentieth-century European literature.