Kristina Hofleiner is the second novel by Stefan Zweig, written in the 1930s, discovered in the writer's archives and published only 40 years after his death. The still very young Kristina Hofleiner leads a near-penniless existence in a small Austrian village. The future promises her nothing but dreary work at the local post office, caring for her sick mother, and a meager salary. However, everything suddenly changes. An aunt—formerly a mistress who managed to marry an American millionaire—invites her niece to join her at a luxurious Swiss resort. At the feet of the village girl, showered with kindness and gifts from her generous relative, it seems the whole world falls. But how long will happiness smile upon her? The plot of the novel served as the basis for the film The Transformation of the Hop, made by the master of French cinema Édouard Molinaro. According to the director, the description of a luxurious hotel in Switzerland was taken from the text of the novel for the film The Grand Budapest Hotel. The collection includes The Chess Novella, as well as the novellas In Twilight and Leporella.
