Stefan Zweig was born in Vienna, son of an affluent industrialist, he devoted his entire life to literature. His talents were first recognized by Theodor Herzl who tried in vain to win him over to Zionism. After obtaining a degree in Romance languages, Zweig traveled through Europe and came under a strong French influence. In World War I he advocated pacifism in support of which he wrote his anti-war drama Jeremiah. In 1919 he settled in Salzburg where he passed his happiest and most productive years. He wrote a series of biographical studies which were very popular and his novel Beware of Pity, which – like his story Letter to an Unknown Woman – was made into a film.When the Nazis took over Austria, Zweig found himself a refugee – in England, the US and finally Brazil. In 1942 he wrote his autobiography The World of Yesterday and shortly afterwards committed suicide in Petropolis near Rio de Janeiro.