Bidspirit auction | [LITERATURE] - “STEFAN ZWEIG: THE

[LITERATURE] - “STEFAN ZWEIG: THE LAST CHANCE TO MEET FREUD” - ZWEIG Stefan - Very important autograph letter signed, postmarked [London 10 May 1939] by the Austrian writer. In 1934, as a result of the Nazi Party's rise in Germany and the establishment of the Ständestaat regime in Austria, Zweig emigrated to England and then, in 1940, moved briefly to New York and then to Brazil, where he settled. In his final years, he would declare himself in love with the country, writing about it in the book Brazil, Land of the Future. Nonetheless, as the years passed Zweig became increasingly disillusioned and despairing at the future of Europe, and he and his wife Lotte were found dead of a barbiturate overdose in their house in Petropolis on 23 February 1942. While in London, Zweig write a friendly letter to the celebrated Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini (1867 - 1957): “…ho dovuto mancare il concerto da ieri, perche era qui a Bath per weekend, ma ho inteso per il Radio. Quale perfectione! Mi ricordo sempre del grande pittore giaponese Hokusai che diceva que a settant’anni cominciava a comprendere l’arte et a cent’anni faceva il suo meglio. L’ultimo anno a Londra Lei, caro Maestro, mi diceva, che farebbe piacere a lei di visitare Freud. Il grande uomo a sofferto molto in salute, ma io sono sicuro, che avrebbe grandissima piacere di vederla e noi possiamo andare ogni giorno verso le cinque insieme. Ho paura, che sia l’ultima occasione per Lei di aver visto uno dei immortali di nostra epoca…”. This letter is the only document that gives us evidence of Toscanini's desire to meet Freud, a meeting that unfortunately did not take place as Freud died in London in September of the same year. 1 p. 1/2. In-8. Envelope with autograph address included.