These four Stefan Zweig stories, newly translated by the award-winning Anthea Bell, are among his most celebrated and compelling work. The titular tale is a devastating depiction of unrequited love, which inspired a classic Hollywood film, directed by Max Ophüls and starring Joane Fontaine. Elsewhere in the collection, a young man mistakes the girl he loves for her sister, two erstwhile lovers meet after an age spent apart, and a married woman repays a debt of gratitude to her childhood sweetheart. Expertly paced, laced with the acutely accurate psychological detail and empathy that are Zweig's trademarks, this is a powerful addition to Pushkin's growing collection of his work.

シュテファン・ツヴァイクが描くのは、理性を焼き尽くすほど純粋で破壊的な情熱です。心理描写の大家である彼の手にかかれば、報われない愛や追憶は「魂の解剖図」へと昇華されます。読者は頁を捲るごとに、内面に潜む狂おしいまでの渇望と、孤独の深淵に深く引きずり込まれることでしょう。 名匠オフュルスによる映画版は、この物語に優雅な映像美を与えました。原作特有の濃密な独白と、映画が映す社交界の虚飾との対比は、悲劇性をより鮮烈に際立たせます。活字で心の震えを追い、映像で余韻に浸る。その相乗効果こそが、本作を味わい尽くす最高の贅沢といえます。