The Reception of Stefan Zweig’s Work in Spain during the Second World War

Abstract

This article analyses the reception of Stefan Zweig’s work in Spain during Franco’s regime, a period of severe intellectual and cultural censorship. Such control was also influenced by the diplomatic relationship between the Spanish government, which was partly germanophile, and the German National Socialist state. In the midst of the Second World War, Stefan Zweig’s suicide in exile shocked the world and was widely reported by the international press. This paper will argue that this act, which was against the dominant ideology of the Spanish regime, may have influenced the publication of the work of the author in Spain. To that end, a study has been conducted both of Zweig’s work published between 1939 and 1947, as well as of the reaction of the Spanish press to his suicide.