Born in 1881 in Vienna, Stefan Zweig's life story begins in the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and ends 61 years later, on Sunday, February 22, 1942 in Petropolis, 60 kilometers north of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, with the suicide of Zweig and his second wife Lotte.

Between his birth in Vienna and his suicide in Brazil, Zweig worked tirelessly in the field of literature and culture, gradually becoming not only the most famous Austrian writer between the world wars of the 20th century, but also one of the most translated German writers in the world and perhaps the most prominent and successful one. Zweig was a Jew, a writer, a translator,  playwright,  poet,  collector and first-rate intellectual. He was also a son of Europe. He was a creation of – and a contributor to - its glorious cultural heritage. How hard must it have been for him after Austria and Central Europe changed its face and succumbed to Nazism. His intellectual and creative world was shattered.

Zweig's fascinating life story places him first and foremost as an extraordinary witness to one of the most important historical periods of the 20th century, alongside a rich and extensive literary enterprise that includes many dozens of wonderful literary works, many trips throughout Europe and beyond, encounters and correspondence with a wide range of cultural and historical figures, and of course commitment to the ideals he believed in with all his heart: individual freedom, peace between nations, brotherhood among peoples, and the unity of Europe. All these position Zweig high on the list of figures worthy to be remembered in the 21st century.

His literary legacy is scattered around the world. Some of the most important repositories of his manuscripts and letters include the Reed Library, State University of New York at Fredonia; The Literature Archive in Salzburg; The Literature Archive of the Austrian National Library in Vienna; The British Library; The National Library of Brazil; The National Library of Israel.

Zweig published more than 150 works, including poems, short stories, plays, biographies, history books, novels, legends, book reviews, articles and other essays. He also wrote tens of thousands of letters to various people during his lifetime. Despite the fact that Stefan Zweig's works have been translated into the Hebrew language for over 100 years, most of his works and almost none of his letters have ever been published in the Hebrew language. Less than 45 of his works have been translated into Hebrew. Not all his biographies were translated and published in Hebrew, and none of his books of poetry were ever translated into Hebrew. The play 'Jeremiah' which he published in 1917 was translated only once into Hebrew in 1929.