Written as both a recollection of the past and as a warning for future generations, The World of Yesterday recalls the golden age of literary Vienna - its seeming permanence, its promise, and its devastating fall.

Surrounded by the leading literary lights of the epoch, Zweig draws a vivid and intimate account of his life and travels through Vienna, Paris, Berlin and London, touching upon the heart of European culture. His passionate, evocative prose draws a stunning portrait of an era that danced brilliantly on the edge of extinction.