Letter from an Unknown Woman and Other Stories

Stefan Zweig
Publisher: Pushkin Press Classics
July 28 2026
EAN: 9781782697633
ISBN: 1782697632
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Synopsis: You loved him for decades and he doesn't even know your name...

A DEVASTATING PORTRAIT OF SILENT OBSESSION: Yearning, heartbreak, and tragedy unfold in this haunting autopsy of a broken heart.

"In ... Zweig's most famous story, an obsessive passion lays bare the truth about a hypocritical society civilized to the point of inhumanity." --Salman Rushdie, The New York Times

Translated by the award-winning Anthea Bell, these 4 pieces of Stefan Zweig's short fiction are among his most celebrated and compelling work.

The titular tale offers a devastating depiction of unrequited love. Returning home to Vienna, an author in midlife opens a letter from a woman he has no memory of, but who has loved him her whole life. From a youthful crush to a night of shared passion, she has shaped her entire existence around the quiet pursuit of his attention. Yet, despite their intimacy and a child born of their union, she remains a ghost in his biography.

Elsewhere in the collection, Zweig explores the fragile architecture of the heart:

• A young man mistakes his beloved for her sister.
• Two former lovers reunite after a lifetime of silence.
• A married woman repays a haunting debt of gratitude to a 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 unequalled collection of his work.