"Beware of Pity" and the Claims of Sympathy

Beware of Pity is the only completed novel by Stephen Zweig, an Austrian novelist, playwright, and biographer. I never heard of the guy before a French friend mentioned the book in an e-mail, but evidently he was hugely popular in the 1920s and 1930s. I was glad to have discovered his novel, which is a psychological epic, high drama, and nail-biting suspense all in one. I have read the new Anthea Bell translation, which I highly recommend.

( Ruminations on the paradox of liberalism, power, selflessness and more in one spoiler-free package )