Beware of Pity
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Summary
'The most exciting book I have ever read ... a feverish, fascinating novel' Antony Beevor, Sunday Telegraph
'I can't take any more of your revolting merciful kindness!'
Who would have thought that the great military hero Captain Hofmiller - that living monument to his own courage - would have anything burdening his soul? But when he reveals his story, it is not one of bravery but tragedy: a simple blunder at a dance from which disaster grows, ruining lives with his weak, foolish pity...
Beware of Pity is Stefan Zweig's greatest novel, fiercely capturing human emotions in all their subtleties and extremes - while Hofmiller, his unforgettable, naïve creation, misunderstands everything, resulting in his downfall.
Translated by Jonathan Katz. Previously published as Impatience of the Heart.
'I can't take any more of your revolting merciful kindness!'
Who would have thought that the great military hero Captain Hofmiller - that living monument to his own courage - would have anything burdening his soul? But when he reveals his story, it is not one of bravery but tragedy: a simple blunder at a dance from which disaster grows, ruining lives with his weak, foolish pity...
Beware of Pity is Stefan Zweig's greatest novel, fiercely capturing human emotions in all their subtleties and extremes - while Hofmiller, his unforgettable, naïve creation, misunderstands everything, resulting in his downfall.
Translated by Jonathan Katz. Previously published as Impatience of the Heart.
Reviews
His stories are full of characters poisoned by things left unsaid, or situations misread... an interior state of mind is beautifully translated into memorable yet familiar imagery... a ring of interior psychological veracity.
Nicholas Lezard, The Guardian
