Born in Vienna, Stefan Zweig was a prolific author of short stories, novels, plays, and biographical essays. He emigrated from Austria after the Nazi Anschluss and lived in exile, writing about the crisis of European civilization. His biographies of figures such as Marie Antoinette, Magellan, and Fouché are landmarks in the genre's literature. His short stories, such as "Fear" and "Amok," are intense studies of the human psyche. Nazi persecution and exile led him to profound despair, culminating in suicide in Brazil.