Stefan Zweig und Ephraim Moshe Lilien: Literatur und bildende Kunst, Wiener Sezession meets Ostjudentum

Abstract: Stefan Zweig's complex relationship with contemporary visual arts, which he explored in a series of articles, is particularly noteworthy when considering his close connection to Ephraim Moshe Lilien (1874–1925). Lilien, a Jewish Art Nouveau painter and illustrator born in Drohobycz, Galicia, was a prominent figure in the Zionist youth movement in Germany. Zweig's first encounter with Lilien, which took place in 1901, when Zweig was just twenty years old, proved to be influential in shaping Zweig's aesthetic philosophy as a writer. As this essay shows, both Zweig and Lilien emphasized two essential artistic criteria: first, the importance of origin and "originality" (Originalität), which they believed was deeply rooted in Jewish culture; and second, the portrayal of the history and suffering of humankind. These ideas, formed during Zweig's early years, would go on to have a significant impact on his later works.