1
of
1
The Society of the Crossed Keys
Selections from the Writings of Stefan Zweig, Inspirations for The Grand Budapest Hotel
Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.
Check link for latest rating. ( 541 ratings, 50 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still
learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Summary
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCK
Please add to wishlist to be notified when back in stock
Sorry, we're currently out of stock of The Society of the Crossed Keys. Please add to your Wishlist and we'll send you an email as soon as it's back in stock.
Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
Stefan Zweig's masterpiece revisited.
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
still learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Description
"I had never heard of Zweig until six or seven years ago, as all the books began to come back into print, and I more or less by chance bought a copy of Beware of Pity. I immediately loved this book, his one, big, great novel—and suddenly there were dozens more in front of me waiting to read." - Wes Anderson
The Society of the Crossed Keys contains Wes Anderson's selections from the writings of the great Austrian author Stefan Zweig, whose life and work inspired The Grand Budapest Hotel.
A Conversation with Wes Anderson: Wes Anderson discusses Zweig's life and work with Zweig biographer George Prochnik.
The World of Yesterday: Selected extracts from Zweig's memoir, The World of Yesterday, an unrivalled evocation of bygone Europe.
Beware of Pity: An extract from Zweig's only novel, a devastating depiction of the torment of the betrayal of both honour and love.
Twenty-Four Hours in the Life of a Woman: One of Stefan Zweig's best-loved stories in full—a passionate tale of gambling, love, and death, played out against the stylish backdrop of the French Riviera in the 1920s.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Combining the writings of Stefan Zweig with Wes Anderson's unique perspective, The Society of the Crossed Keys captures the essence and spirit of Zweig's works. Reviews praise it as a compelling introduction to Zweig's narratives, with Anderson effectively capturing and channeling their emotional and thematic depth. The collection is recommended for its evocative portrayal of Zweig's world, prompting a desire to explore more of his works.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781782271079
Publisher: Pushkin Press
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 13 March 2014
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Pushkin Press
Contributors:
- Translated by Anthea Bell
- Translated by Anthea Bell
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Width: 129.0mm
Height: 198.0mm
Weight: 250g
Pages: 272
About the Author
Stefan Zweig was born in 1881 in Vienna. He studied in Berlin and Vienna and, between the wars was an international bestselling author. With the rise of Nazism, he left Austria, and lived in London, Bath, New York and Brazil, where in 1942 he and his wife were found dead in an apparent double suicide.
Wes Anderson's films include Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic, The Darjeeling Limited, Fantastic Mr Fox, and Moonrise Kingdom. He directed and wrote the screenplay for The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Also by Stefan Zweig
View all-
The World of Yesterday
Austrian writer Stefan Zweig's final work, posted to his publisher the day before his tragic death, brings the destruction of a war-torn Europe vividly to life. Written as both a recollection of the past and a warning for future generations, The World of Yesterday recalls the golden age of literary Vienna; its seeming permanence, its promise, and its devastating fall....Paperback$2600Elsewhere:$2999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
Beware of Pity
Stefan Zweig's most famous novel, reissued with a new jacket and title. 'I can't take any more of your revolting merciful kindness!' Who would have thought that the great military hero Captain Hofmiller - that living monument to his own courage - would have anything burdening his soul? But when he reveals his story, it is not one of bravery...Paperback$2800Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
The Royal Game: A Chess Story
Set aboard an ocean liner bound for Buenos Aires, Stefan Zweig's The Royal Game: A Chess Story delves into the eerie interplay of intellect and obsession. The novel introduces us to Mirko Czentovic, the reigning chess world champion, who compensates for his peculiar dullness in all but chess by effortlessly defeating any passenger daring enough to challenge him. His victories,...Paperback$1499Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
Chess
Introducing Little Clothbound Classics: irresistible, mini editions of short stories, novellas and essays from the world's greatest writers, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith. A group of passengers on a cruise ship challenge the world chess champion to a match. At first, they crumble, until they are helped by whispered advice from a stranger in the crowd – a man...Hardback$2400Elsewhere:$2600Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
Mary Queen of Scots
From the moment of her birth to her death on the scaffold, Mary Stuart spent her life embroiled in power struggles that shook the foundations of Renaissance Europe. Revered by some as the rightful Queen of England, reviled by others as a murderous adulteress, her long and fascinating rivalry with her cousin Elizabeth I led ultimately to her downfall. Zweig,...Paperback$3299Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
Marie Antoinette
Stefan Zweig based his biography of Marie Antoinette, who became the Queen of France at the age of fifteen, on the correspondence between her and her mother, and her great love, the Count Axel von Fersen. Zweig analyses the chemistry of a woman's soul from her intimate pleasures to her public suffering as a Queen under the weight of misfortune...Paperback$3699Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
Six Stories
Six newly translated stories from the bestselling Austrian author. 'One of the masters of the short story' Guardian These six stories of obsession, secrets, delusions and desires from one of the greatest European writers show individuals caught up in forces beyond their control — whether an art dealer agreeing to a heartbreaking deception, a soldier destroyed by war, a servant...Paperback$2400Elsewhere:$2600Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
Chess
90 classic titles celebrating 90 years of Penguin Books My delight in playing turned to a lust for playing, my lust for playing into a compulsion to play, a mania, a frenetic fury that filled not only my waking hours but also came to invade my sleep. I could think of nothing but chess, I thought only in chess moves...Paperback$1700Elsewhere:$1799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Chess
Stefan Zweig's classic novella of obsession, madness and chess. In 1941, a cruise ship is heading to Buenos Aires, and on board, a group of eager passengers challenge the reigning world chess champion to a match. At first, they lose pitifully, until a kind stranger aids them by whispering instructions. He is a masterful chess player, and as they play,...Paperback$1700Elsewhere:$1799Unit price /UnavailableBackorderShips mid August -
Nietzsche
In this vivid biography, Stefan Zweig eschews traditional academic discussion and focuses on Nietzsche's habits, passions, and obsessions. Concentrating on the man rather than the work, on the tragedy of his existence and his apartness from the world in which he moved in enforced isolation, Zweig draws the reader inexorably into Nietzsche's tragic life. Nietzsche is illustrated with numerous photographs...Paperback$2300Elsewhere:$2499Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
The Last Miracle: Jewish Stories
This collection from one of the great writers of Europe's Jewish diaspora shows the heat of individual passions blazing out against the levelling forces of history. In stories that move back through time from the First World War to Ancient Rome, we encounter heroes and bookworms, visionaries and gadabouts, patriarchs and rebel children—all tied together across the centuries by their...Paperback$2799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Tales from the DUAL MONARCHY
The night does not belong to us. She harbours her own mysteries. Nocturnos delves into the ethereal world of the night, when the mundane vibes of the day cede to a mysterious atmosphere in which anything seems possible. In the twilight hours, the darkness feels vast and untameable, the dead can intrude upon the land of the living, and the...Paperback$4900Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 2-3 weeks
Also by Wes Anderson
View all-
The Phoenician Scheme
The Phoenician Scheme: The story of a family and a family business. Benicio del Toro is Anatole 'Zsa-zsa' Korda, one of the richest men in Europe. As he scrambles to consummate the most important project of his life, Zsa-zsa's opponents disrupt, obstruct, impede and cripple his enterprise by any means possible. Among the cast are Mia Threapleton as Sister Liesel,...Hardback$3799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
The Wes Anderson Collection
This New York Times bestselling overview of Wes Anderson's filmography features previously unpublished behind-the-scenes photos, artwork, and ephemera, with an introduction by Michael Chabon. Writer/director Wes Anderson guides movie/television critic Matt Zoller Seitz through Anderson's life and career in a hardcover book-length conversation, woven together with original illustrations and production images from Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life...Hardback$8000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
Asteroid City
Asteroid City (adapted from a "hypothetical" play) takes place in a fictional desert town, circa 1955. The itinerary of the annual Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention (organised to bring together students and parents from across the country for fellowship and scholarly competition) is spectacularly disrupted by world-changing events. A theatrical ensemble character piece; a poetic meditation on the meaning of life....Paperback$3299Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Asteroid City
Thousands of years ago, an asteroid fell from the sky, creating a huge crater, in the centre of which a piece of asteroid rock remains. Once a year, a convention is held on the site, attracting astronomers, teachers, families with would-be teenage astronomers – as well as military personnel. As the stars begin to align, events occur which are startling...Hardback$3699Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Isle of Dogs
Isle of Dogs tells the story of Atari, twelve-year-old ward to corrupt Mayor Kobayashi. When, by executive decree, all the canine pets of Megasaki City are exiled to a vast garbage dump, Atari sets off alone in a miniature Junior Turbo-Prop and flies to Trash Island in search of his bodyguard-dog, Spots. There, with the assistance of a pack of...Hardback$5500Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Pre-orderRushmore
Rushmore tells the story of Max Fischer, Rushmore Academy's most extracurricular and least scholarly student: Editor-in-Chief of the school newspaper and yearbook; Director of the school theatre troupe; Captain of the Debate, Fencing, and Trap-and-Skeet teams; Founder of the Astronomy and Kite-flying societies; and President of the Rushmore Beekeepers (among other clubs). Also, currently, on Sudden Death Academic Probation. When...Paperback$1299Unit price /UnavailableOut 14 Jan 2027Pre-order -
Pre-order
Moonrise Kingdom
Moonrise Kingdom takes place on the American island of New Penzance in the summer of 1965. Two twelve-year-olds, Sam and Suzy, fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away into the wilderness. As local authorities hunt them down, a violent storm is brewing off-shore, and the peaceful island community prepares for catastrophe. In addition to the screenplay, this...Paperback$1299Unit price /UnavailableOut 14 Jan 2027Pre-order -
The French Dispatch
The French Dispatch brings to life a collection of stories from the final issue of a fictional American magazine published in a twentieth-century French city. The film is inspired, in part, by the histories and personalities—the editors and writers—of publications such as the Paris Review, the New York Review of Books, and, especially, the New Yorker. In addition to the...Paperback$3299Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Grand Budapest Hotel recounts the adventures of Gustave H., a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the two World Wars, and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend. The story involves the theft and recovery of a priceless Renaissance painting, a raging battle for an enormous family fortune, and the sweetest confection of...PaperbackSold Out -
Isle of Dogs
Isle of Dogs tells the story of Atari, a twelve-year-old ward to the corrupt Mayor Kobayashi. When, by executive decree, all the canine pets of Megasaki City are exiled to a vast garbage dump, Atari sets off alone in a miniature Junior Turbo-Prop and flies to Trash Island in search of his bodyguard-dog, Spots. There, with the assistance of a...PaperbackSold Out
More from General Fiction
View all-
The Wedding People
'BEST READ OF THE YEAR SO FAR' THE TIMES 'BOOKS AS FUN AS THIS ONE ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN' GUARDIAN Phoebe Stone arrives at a grand beachside hotel in Rhode Island wearing her best dress and least comfortable shoes. Immediately she is mistaken for one of the wedding people — but she's actually the only guest at the Cornwall...Paperback$2399Elsewhere:$2799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
Theo of Golden
THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING PHENOMENON'For anything to be truly good, there must be love in it. Nothing is what it's supposed to be if love is not at the core.' One morning, a stranger arrives in the town of Golden. No one knows who he is or where he came from…His name is Theo and he's arrived there by chance –...Paperback$2899Elsewhere:$3499Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
New ReleaseOn Mystic Lake
One of the greatest storytellers of our time - Delia Owens, author of Where the Crawdads Sing Annie Colwater's only child has just left home for school in England. On that same day, her husband of twenty years confesses that he's in love with a younger woman. Left alone in the beautiful California house which was once a home, Annie...Paperback$3100Elsewhere:$3800Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
New ReleaseLand
Inspired by the mapping of Ireland in the mid nineteenth century, Land, the new novel from the author of Hamnet, is at once intimate and epic: a portrait of a family navigating a legacy of upheaval and loss with love and hope. On a windswept peninsula stretching out into the Atlantic, Tomás and his reluctant son, Liam, are working for the great...Paperback$3199Elsewhere:$3799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
Signed BookplateNew ReleaseLight Wielder
THE EPIC CONCLUSION TO METAL SLINGER, AKA THE BOOK WITH THE PLOT TWIST THAT BROKE THE INTERNET Sail the seas. Master the blade. Protect your heart. What would you do to have it all? READERS ARE GOING WILD FOR *METAL SLINGER* ‘The BEST plot twist to ever grace my Kindle’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘The author is a mastermind. Romantasy is back!!!!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐...Paperback$3199Elsewhere:$3799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
Mistborn Trilogy Boxed Set
The Mistborn Trilogy Boxed Set by Brandon Sanderson is a landmark fantasy series that has captivated readers worldwide. Renowned for its innovative magic system, intricate world-building, and compelling characters, this trilogy is a must-have for any fantasy enthusiast. Immerse yourself in a world shrouded in ash, where a once-hopeful land is ruled by the tyrannical Dark Lord, known as the...Set$6499Elsewhere:$7500Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
Project Hail Mary
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING NOVEL A BARACK OBAMA READING PICK A lone astronaut. An impossible mission. An ally he never imagined. 'The most enjoyable hard SF I have read in years' GUARDIAN 'Weir's finest work to date... This is the one book I read last year that I am certain I can recommend to anyone, no matter who, and know...Paperback$2099Elsewhere:$2800Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
Project Hail Mary
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, the SUNDAY TIMES and NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of The Martian, offers a gripping new adventure in hard science fiction. With endorsement from notable figures such as Barack Obama and a slew of five-star reviews, this novel promises a thrilling and intellectually stimulating journey. Ryland Grace, a lone astronaut, finds himself on a...Paperback$2399Elsewhere:$2400Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
The Deal
Welcome to Briar U! Get ready for your newest obsession . . . Discover the addictive world of the Off-Campus series from The Queen of Hockey Romance, Elle Kennedy! Read The Deal now for the perfect fake-dating romance! She's about to make a deal with the college bad boy . . . Hannah Wells has finally found someone who turns...Paperback$2499Elsewhere:$2799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
New ReleaseThe Bookshop Detectives 3: Murder and Mojitos
Art Deco glamour, a Cuban crime queen and a grammar-obsessed killer collide in the #1 best-selling Bookshop Detectives’ high-stakes final instalment. The Bookshop Detectives are on the case! Booksellers Garth and Eloise Sherlock (and their cowardly dog, Stevie) have been roped into hosting Murder and Mojitos, a glamorous Art Deco festival event starring Cuba’s queen of crime fiction. Between flapper...Paperback$3000Elsewhere:$3800Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
20% offThe Wrath of the Fallen
SAMKIEL AND DIANNA WILL RETURN in the next sizzling, dark romantasy series from Amber V. Nicole. EPIC. SPICY. ADDICTIVE. Embrace the darkness . . . 'If you like romantasy, read this!' RAVEN KENNEDY 'A wicked ride from beginning to heart-shattering end. Leaving me literally screaming for more' HANNAH NICOLE MAERHER 'This is perfection. Amber Nicole's Dianna is the FMC of...Paperback$2400Elsewhere:$3799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
New ReleaseYesteryear
A BOLD AND BITING SATIRE. WILL HAVE YOU GASPING TO THE FINAL PAGE — Nita Prose WICKEDLY FUNNY, BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN AND FRIGHTENINGLY PERCEPTIVE — Abigail Dean INVENTIVE, ADDICTIVE, A WILD RIDE — Ashley Audrain SHOT THROUGH WITH HUMOUR AND LACED WITH DARKNESS — Clare Mackintosh The Stepford Wives meets The Handmaid's Tale — Hannah Deitch My name was Natalie Heller...Paperback$2999Elsewhere:$3699Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow
Why buy from us?
Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!
Service & Delivery
Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.
Auckland Bookstore
We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.
Our Gifting Service
Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.
General Fiction lists from the team
Explore our curated lists from our heroes to find your next read!
-
![]()
![]()
![]()
Hannah's listGeneral Fiction
Gothic Reads for Dark Nights
With the advent of movie adaptations like Wuthering Heights and Frankenstein, it looks like pop culture is seeing a revival of the...View the list -
![]()
![]()
![]()
Shirl's listGeneral Fiction
Shirl's Top 10 Most Recommended Books
These are my Top 10 books that I always recommend to my friends and whānau when they ask for recommendations for getting...View the list -
![]()
![]()
![]()
Lizzy's listGeneral Fiction
Books to Escape a Reading Slump
A reading slump can be a frustrating feeling and hard to break out of, but we've gathered together a list of crowd...View the list -
![]()
![]()
![Star Shipped]()
Lizzy's listGeneral Fiction
Lizzy's Pride Fiction Picks!
June marks Global Pride Month so in case you're looking for your next great fiction read, here's a list of some of...View the list -
![]()
![]()
![]()
Lizzy's listGeneral Fiction
Readers’ Top 100 Novels of All Time - from The Guardian
There was some controversy when The Guardian released their critics and authors list of the top 100 novels of all time, but...View the list -
![]()
![]()
![]()
Shirl's listGeneral Fiction
Shirl's Favourite Books of 2026
The first half of 2026 has been packed with brilliant books, making it hard to choose favourites but here are a few...View the list
