Buchmendel

About “Buchmendel”

"Buchmendel" is a 1929 short story by Austrian writer Stefan Zweig. It follows Jakob Mendel, an eccentric but brilliant book peddler who works in a Vienna coffeehouse. A Poland-born Russian-Jewish immigrant, he is well-liked for his vast knowledge of literature. In 1915, he is falsely accused of collaborating with Austria’s enemies and sent to a concentration camp. When he returns near the end of the war, he has lost his memory and ability to read. The café has a new owner, and his old customers are gone. He dies alone, poor, and forgotten. (Summary adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.)