Zweig is a master of the psychological, interior thought, and intentions of his characters. In his novella, Confessions, we enter the mind of a young student enthralled by his professor, and the deep attraction for the professor’s wife. The reader comes to discover the obsessions of another party that is fairly taboo in nature. For the time, a scandalous sexual orientation, that today, is hardly worth the attention. In Journey into the Past, Zweig takes us into the thoughts and feelings of two individuals whose deep love for each other must remain unspoken.
Our protagonist, Ludwig, comes from a working-class family, though due to his intelligence and dogged perseverance; he attains his qualifications in chemistry. He lands a job in a large company owned by a wealthy, German industrialist. The young man works hard, surpassing the expectations of the owner, and is asked to move into his boss's home, to take on the duties of assistant, personal secretary and liaison. It is here we see one of Ludwig’s personal complexes. As he came from humble beginnings, he sees the wealthy as almost a personal affront to himself. That he will always be looked down upon, no matter his achievements, in that world of money and power. At first, he declines the new job offer, believing the job will further cement him in ‘peasant status’, but later changes his mind. It is here that he meets the boss’s young wife.
As it turns out, the woman is sensitive to all of Ludwig’s needs. He will tell her he admires a particular painting, to later find a framed print of it on his desk. The intense unspoken attraction over time reaches an unbearable pitch, where only the occasional kiss occurs in the shadows of the house’s back hallways. Zweig writes in such a way that we see that this love between them is real, though truly innocent and pure. At this stage, their love is never consummated.
Ludwig is called by the company to travel overseas to Mexico and oversee mineral exploration. At first, he is hesitant but is assured the assignment will only last two years, though lasts nine years. WWI breaks out and all their correspondence stops between the two lovers. After almost a decade, Ludwig reaches out and contacts her again.
She is a widow, and Ludwig is married with children, so will they have the same feelings for each other as they did in the past?
Ludwig desires their relationship not to have changed, but has it really ended?
Both seem to be connected in a different way. For certain they are in a purgatory between the feelings of their past and what they’re experiencing now, One can say, lost in the emotional shadows of time and space. Can there be renewal, or should the past remain a fading memory?
This short tale I found sensitive and tender, written with psychological accuracy, touching the depths and fragility of the human heart.
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