,,Lust, Kraft, Wille und Ekstase erzeugen“ – Tracing Vitalism in Stefan Zweig’s early works

Stefan Zweig’s literary, cultural and social interests were wide-ranging. Apart from being an avid and lifelong reader of world literature and an exacting collector of autographs, he had some less well known and more ephemeral interests reflecting the cultural currents of his time. As Mark Gelber has documented, Zweig’s Judaism and his acquaintance with Theodor Herzl led him to a brief engagement with the Zionist movement1, which did not however, result in Zweig adopting a Zionist outlook. In a similar vein, Zweig observed the developments of post 1917 Soviet communism with significant interest, without himself being drawn towards any party allegiance.2 Yet both the exchanges with Zionist and communist intellectuals left clear traces in Zweig’s works for years to come. These passing but often recurring interests have only recently started to receive due critical attention in Zweig scholarship, yet they are crucial for a nuanced understanding of Zweig’s complex and multifaceted worldview. I would like to argue that Zweig was influenced to a larger extent than thus far assumed by literary vitalism and that this engagement has left recognisable traces in Zweig’s poetic and essayistic oeuvre before WWI. Furthermore, vitalist ideas may be regarded as a contributing factor to Zweig’s early support of the Austrian war effort.