The Confusion of Emotions: A New Translation

by Stefan Zweig, Liam Ferousse (Translator)

Stefan Zweig’s The Confusion of Emotions (Verwirrung der Gefühle), first published in 1927, is a deeply introspective novella that explores the complexities of human relationships, intellectual passion, and unspoken desires. Written in Zweig’s signature style—marked by psychological depth, emotional intensity, and elegant prose—the story delves into the hidden turmoil of an aging scholar as he reflects on a transformative period in his youth.

The novella follows Roland, a young university student who, restless and uninspired, is sent by his father to study under a revered professor. Initially indifferent to academia, Roland is soon captivated by the professor’s brilliance and develops an intense admiration for his intellect and character. As their relationship deepens, Roland finds himself drawn into a world of admiration, loyalty, and emotional dependency. However, beneath the surface of this mentorship lies a confusing and unspoken tension—one that challenges Roland’s understanding of himself and the professor’s concealed struggles.

With remarkable psychological insight, Zweig examines the fine line between admiration and obsession, mentorship and manipulation, love and repression. His exploration of the emotional and intellectual bonds that shape our lives remains strikingly modern, touching on themes of self-discovery, repression, and the complexities of human affection. The novella’s intimate and confessional tone gives it a haunting, personal quality that lingers long after the final page.

This new translation preserves the lyricism and intensity of Zweig’s original prose, allowing contemporary readers to experience the full emotional force of The Confusion of Emotions. Whether approached as a psychological study, a meditation on intellectual awakening, or an exploration of unspoken desires, Zweig’s novella remains one of his most profound and thought-provoking works.

100 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 27, 2025

About the author

Stefan Zweig was one of the world's most famous writers during the 1920s and 1930s, especially in the U.S., South America, and Europe. He produced novels, plays, biographies, and journalist pieces. Among his most famous works are Beware of Pity, Letter from an Unknown Woman, and Mary, Queen of Scotland and the Isles. He and his second wife committed suicide in 1942.
Zweig studied in Austria, France, and Germany before settling in Salzburg in 1913. In 1934, driven into exile by the Nazis, he emigrated to England and then, in 1940, to Brazil by way of New York. Finding only growing loneliness and disillusionment in their new surroundings, he and his second wife committed suicide.
Zweig's interest in psychology and the teachings of Sigmund Freud led to his most characteristic work, the subtle portrayal of character. Zweig's essays include studies of Honoré de Balzac, Charles Dickens, and Fyodor Dostoevsky (Drei Meister, 1920; Three Masters) and of Friedrich Hölderlin, Heinrich von Kleist, and Friedrich Nietzsche (Der Kampf mit dem Dämon, 1925; Master Builders). He achieved popularity with Sternstunden der Menschheit (1928; The Tide of Fortune), five historical portraits in miniature. He wrote full-scale, intuitive rather than objective, biographies of the French statesman Joseph Fouché (1929), Mary Stuart (1935), and others. His stories include those in Verwirrung der Gefühle (1925; Conflicts). He also wrote a psychological novel, Ungeduld des Herzens (1938; Beware of Pity), and translated works of Charles Baudelaire, Paul Verlaine, and Emile Verhaeren.
Most recently, his works provided the inspiration for 2014 film The Grand Budapest Hotel.