The Impatience of the Heart

The books of the Austrian writer Stefan Zweig captivate the reader from the very first lines, generously bestowing joy of recognition and empathy until the last page. "The Impatience of the Heart" is the writer's most famous novel. It is the story of a tragic love between a young officer who is perpetually in need of money and a wealthy girl confined to a wheelchair. How to distinguish compassion from love? Can pity and respect coexist in one soul? Is it possible to draw a line between genuine feeling and "the impatience of the heart, hurrying to rid itself of the burdensome sensation at the sight of another's misfortune"?