Clarissa

More about the book

In his last narrative work, Stefan Zweig presents the life of Clarissa Schuhmeister, the daughter of an Austrian officer, whose pursuit of happiness is thwarted by war and its aftermath. Raised in a convent school, she develops a strong desire for independence and agency. After a brief training, she becomes an assistant to a renowned Viennese neurologist. At a congress in Lucerne, she falls in love with Leonard, a French teacher and pacifist. However, the outbreak of war abruptly interrupts their romance, forcing them to part ways. The child she expects from Leonard now has an enemy for a father. In a military hospital, Clarissa meets an Austrian conscientious objector, whom she marries out of concern for her child. Following the political collapse, he reveals himself to be a characterless speculator. Leonard remains unreachable for Clarissa, as her father intercepts the letters he sends her. Zweig sketches only the first part of this novel; the editor presents a revised, complete version of the draft.