When the stars of humanity shine

Author: Stefan Zweig
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-08-01
Features: A truly world-historical moment—a moment when the stars of humanity shine brightly. Before such a decisive moment, countless years will pass in vain. At this critical juncture, events that usually unfold slowly and sequentially or concurrently are compressed into a fleeting instant, revealing their significance. This moment makes irrevocable decisions for generations, determining the life or death of an individual, the survival of a nation, or even the fate of all humankind. The history that Goethe called the "divine workshop" fully reveals the pivotal moments of individuals, who shine like stars, illuminating humanity itself.
Bolstered by the blood of bandits, explorers, rebels, and heroes, Vasco da Gama became the first European to see the Pacific; a mere second of indecision cost Marshal Grouchy the fate of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo; at the age of seventy, Goethe, like a boy experiencing first love, fell for a teenage girl. After his failed marriage proposal, the old man composed the "Ballad of Marienbad" in a single burst of inspiration amidst the autumn gloom; defying his own fame or disgrace, Lenin rode a sealed train through Germany back to Russia, thus igniting the locomotive of the October Revolution.