The later sections of the diaries reflect his displacement. Forced into exile after the annexation of Austria in 1938, Zweig traveled to and finally Rio de Janeiro . The diaries record his fascination with these American cities alongside a growing sense of "impossible exile"—a feeling of being a ghost in a world that no longer had a place for his brand of humanism. Stefan Zweig (1881-1942): Home - Research Guides

The primary interest in the Diarios lies in their . While his published works—like Letter from an Unknown Woman or Amok —are meticulously structured psychological studies, his diary entries are "dictated by the urgency of the moment". They provide a crucial contrast to his autobiography:

An essay on Stefan Zweig’s Diarios (Diaries) offers a profound look at the internal life of one of the 20th century's most celebrated European intellectuals. Unlike his polished autobiography, El mundo de ayer (The World of Yesterday), these diaries capture the immediate, often raw reactions to the crumbling of the European humanist ideal. The Shadow of the Great War