Stefan Zweig - Twenty-Four Hours in the Life of a Woman

Title: Twenty-Four Hours in the Life of a Woman

Writer: Stefan Zweig

Year: 1927

Pages: 96

IBSN: 978-1782272151

Price: 3.52€ (Amazon, second hand)

Mark: 8/10

SYNOPSIS

The less I felt in myself, the more strongly I was drawn to those places where the whirligig of life spins most rapidly. So begins an extraordinary day in the life of Mrs C - recently bereaved and searching for excitement and meaning. Drawn to the bright lights of a casino, and the passion of a desperate stranger, she discovers a purpose once again but at what cost? In this vivid and moving tale of a compassionate woman, and her defining experience, Zweig explores the power of intense love, overwhelming loneliness and regret that can last for a lifetime.

Stefan Sweig is a famous Austrian writer, I have been wanting to read something written by him. I bought this book in Copenhagen, I looked for a bookshop and, not letting myself go buying the first book I lay my eyes on, I kept on looking through the shelves until I stumble upon this beautiful edition, and I could not help myself.

The book starts with a group of people that is in a hotel where the narrator lives. All of a sudden, a French noblewoman abandons her husband and children to elope with a young dandy. That very same night, during the night, they are all gathered around the table talking about the elopement. The narrator, whose name we never know, is defending the noblewoman and, suddenly, an old English aristocrat takes part in the conversation, a woman that hitherto has seldom spoken. Thenceforth, the narrator and her, whose name is Mrs. C., strike up a friendship, and she tells him the story of one day of his life, 24 hours, to show him that that time can indeed change the life of the people.

The easy you can read Zweig and the ability he has to convey images in your mind, to make you visualize the story in your mind makes this book a masterpiece. In less than 100 pages he explores the human soul and the social relationships and, specifically, love relationships. What I did not like was the representation of women, as if she was a man’s decoration, and the lack of empathy for the woman who is leaving, even though we do not know the reason. Everybody is empathizing with the husband because he no longer has a woman to serve him and the children because they no longer have a mother to raise them (even though they have their father). Besides, he represents women as unstable, inclined to fall in love, disengaged, that change their lives for the first man they meet and no, that is not the real life.