Drama

Stefan Zweig: BEWARE OF PITY

The impatience of the heart depicts a thrilling intimate story between lame Edita and her potential suitor, Lieutenant Toni Hofmiller, which takes place at the beginning of the First World War. Edita longs to believe in the possibility of healing and love. Confused, does Toni long for a better social status? The Jewish family believes in the world of yesterday, but the spirit of a crumbling monarchy, values and relationships is already hovering over this faith. One innocent invitation to dance will not only cause societal embarrassment, but will fatally affect the lives of all involved.

However, the novel itself was written in 1938 and the Beware of Pity thus became a foreshadowing of what World War II brought. It is an unsentimental story about personal and social experience, responsibility and expectations, but also that compassion can kill as well.