Behind the mask ...

... Literary Review - Miranda Seymour on Three Lives by Oliver Matuschek.

Obsessive, depressive and secretive in his private life, Zweig hid behind the persona of a cherished performer. Throughout the economically volatile 1920s, his works never lost their popularity. Revered for the biographical triads in which he specialised (but which did not find an English readership), Zweig moved from platform to platform, reading from his work to audiences who never failed to buy. Occasionally, one of his chosen subjects registered a protest (Freud was infuriated to be teamed with Mesmer and Mrs Baker Eddy); but Zweig's ascent never faltered. 'Onwards and upwards,' he noted in his fiftieth year. Significantly, he added a hope that the progress would not endure for long.