[In a tiny gap of time, she lived out her possible, strangled self.
"Twenty-Four Hours in a Woman's Life" is a novella written by the famous Austrian writer Stefan Zweig. It is also a classic as famous as "Letter from a Strange Woman".
Mrs. C is a British lady with silver hair and extraordinary bearing. No one could have imagined that this old lady who usually just read and played the piano quietly by herself would always be bound by an old event in her heart.
At the age of forty-two, Mrs. C escaped from her empty and depressed life alone. In a casino in Monte Carlo, she met a lost young man who had lost all his property and was desperately preparing to die. Whether driven by some noble feelings or a momentary passion, Mrs. C tried to save this man whose name she didn't even know... In twenty-four hours, she experienced crazy love and tragic loss. This short twenty-four hours was a rare indulgence in her life, and it also led her to complete the redemption of facing herself.
Reader comments
One is addicted to gambling for money, and the other is trapped in illusions. In a sense, both of them are gamblers. One lost money in gambling and committed suicide; the other lost love in gambling and grew old slowly with extreme pain, shame and suffering. Many people never experience passionate moments in their lives, so they long for passion. Who knows how many people can withstand this burning passion?
Zweig is really a master at describing emotions, especially the gambler's inner desires and external expressions, which he vividly describes. BTW, Jiang Yi translated very well! There is also a version translated as Li Mengyi, which is even more impactful!
Oh my god... This book is so good... I don't know how to praise it at all. The translation postscript is the icing on the cake, perfectly analyzing and supplementing the reasons why I have respect for this work. In short, as a woman, I am honored and grateful to be able to read this work in my teenage years. If that experience was an opportunity for Ms. C to find herself, then this book is also my courage to ride into the future.
It tells the story of a protagonist who, under the discipline of feudal ethics and moral religion, lived out his possible, stifled self in a very small gap of time.
In this twenty-four-hour time gap, emotions come unexpectedly and violently, a bit shocking but also reasonable.
The gambler is also the embodiment of Ms. C's naked desire. She found an outlet after being suppressed by social discipline and morality for a long time. It doesn't have to be him, but the excitement and wildness brought by gambling are the most intuitive freedom that Ms. C can have access to at the moment, and then he appears. She longed for an escape, so she was willing to sacrifice everything for him who met by chance, just for the words "I want you" ("Take me away"). But the reality is like this, desires are hard to change, so she can only have these 24 hours. Fortunately, she only has these 24 hours, which are unforgettable and precious. She will remember these earth-shaking 24 hours for her whole life.
We from East Asian families long for a worry-free escape within the secular framework. When you really escape, will you be like the male and female protagonists at the end of "The Graduate", when the excitement that stirs your bones has passed, leaving only endless confusion about the future?
Only 24 hours.
She was not obsessed with him, but with herself who was triggered and allowed through him.
This is a nonsense sentence written by the translator Jiang Yi in the postscript. I hope everyone will read this book. I hope everyone can understand themselves first, instead of being trapped in a situation and can only understand themselves with the help of others for a short time. Jiang Yi's translations are really beautiful and the translations are very vivid! ! [Sending Hearts]
Mrs. C has always pursued vitality and passion. She is willing to follow him firmly regardless of other people's gazes. She is a free woman who is not shackled by social disciplines. She dares to love, chase, and obey her desires. Unfortunately, her enthusiasm was extinguished by cold water and became a wound that could not be healed. As written in the preface to the translation, Mrs. C was not obsessed with the young man, but herself who was triggered by him.
The emotions are written very delicately, and a moment's impulsive decision can really change a person's destiny.
A somewhat impactful story with stirring sentences.
The book is very good, and the detailed description of emotions is excellent, but the tomato layout hurts my eyes.
It's a very short story, and the translator's message at the end is great! It is recommended to read this part first before starting to read the main text.
Looks good. I still like it.
A wonderful short story
Shocking. In the ultimate ecstasy, I was burned by passion, but at this moment, I fell sadly into my heart. The heart that was left behind was on the platform, but I picked it up again and started on my way.
This is the first time I have seen such detailed descriptions of hand movements in a book. Very shocking
One is addicted to gambling for money, and the other is trapped in illusions. In a sense, both of them are gamblers. One lost money in gambling and committed suicide; the other lost love in gambling and grew old slowly with extreme pain, shame and suffering. Many people never experience passionate moments in their lives, so they long for passion. Who knows how many people can withstand this burning passion? Zweig is really a master at describing emotions, especially the gambler's inner desires and external expressions, which he vividly describes. BTW, Jiang Yi translated very well! There is also a version translated as Li Mengyi, which is even more impactful!
Oh my god... This book is so good... I don't know how to praise it at all. The translation postscript is the icing on the cake, perfectly analyzing and supplementing the reasons why I have respect for this work. In short, as a woman, I am honored and grateful to be able to read this work in my teenage years. If that experience was an opportunity for Ms. C to find herself, then this book is also my courage to ride into the future.
It tells the story of a protagonist who, under the discipline of feudal ethics and moral religion, lived out his possible, stifled self in a very small gap of time. In this twenty-four-hour time gap, emotions come unexpectedly and violently, a bit shocking but also reasonable.
The gambler is also the embodiment of Ms. C's naked desire. She found an outlet after being suppressed by social discipline and morality for a long time. It doesn't have to be him, but the excitement and wildness brought by gambling are the most intuitive freedom that Ms. C can have access to at the moment, and then he appears. She longed for an escape, so she was willing to sacrifice everything for him who met by chance, just for the words "I want you" ("Take me away"). But the reality is like this, desires are hard to change, so she can only have these 24 hours. Fortunately, she only has these 24 hours, which are unforgettable and precious. She will remember these earth-shaking 24 hours for her whole life. We from East Asian families long for a worry-free escape within the secular framework. When you really escape, will you be like the male and female protagonists at the end of "The Graduate", when the excitement that stirs your bones has passed, leaving only endless confusion about the future? Only 24 hours.
She was not obsessed with him, but with herself who was triggered and allowed through him. This is a nonsense sentence written by the translator Jiang Yi in the postscript. I hope everyone will read this book. I hope everyone can understand themselves first, instead of being trapped in a situation and can only understand themselves with the help of others for a short time. Jiang Yi's translations are really beautiful and the translations are very vivid! ! [Sending Hearts]
Mrs. C has always pursued vitality and passion. She is willing to follow him firmly regardless of other people's gazes. She is a free woman who is not shackled by social disciplines. She dares to love, chase, and obey her desires. Unfortunately, her enthusiasm was extinguished by cold water and became a wound that could not be healed. As written in the preface to the translation, Mrs. C was not obsessed with the young man, but herself who was triggered by him.
The emotions are written very delicately, and a moment's impulsive decision can really change a person's destiny.
A somewhat impactful story with stirring sentences.
The book is very good, and the detailed description of emotions is excellent, but the tomato layout hurts my eyes.
It's a very short story, and the translator's message at the end is great! It is recommended to read this part first before starting to read the main text.
Looks good. I still like it.
A wonderful short story
Shocking. In the ultimate ecstasy, I was burned by passion, but at this moment, I fell sadly into my heart. The heart that was left behind was on the platform, but I picked it up again and started on my way.
This is the first time I have seen such detailed descriptions of hand movements in a book. Very shocking