by W. G. Sebald
First published 2006
W. G. Sebald turns his analytical eye to the Mediterranean island of Corsica in four lyrical pieces that move between historical moments and personal observation. He walks ancient paths and examines how the past intrudes upon the present landscape. The collection also includes his literary criticism, where Sebald dissects the works of Franz Kafka, Vladimir Nabokov, and Günter Grass. He argues that literature serves as compensation for worldly injustices and reveals how these writers shaped his own artistic vision. The essays were found among his papers after his sudden death in 2001, never before published in book form. Sebald applies his characteristic method of weaving together memory, history, and place. The Corsican pieces capture the island's violent history alongside its natural beauty. His literary essays demonstrate how great writers transform suffering into art. Together, these final works illuminate the preoccupations that drove Sebald's entire career. The collection stands as both introduction to his methods and farewell from a writer who made memory and time his central subjects.
Genres: essays, historical-fiction, 20th-century, biography-memoir, criticism, 21st-century, art-history, academic
Vibes: emotional, intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: literary-analysis, personal-observation
Setting: Corsica, Mediterranean
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
227 pages · Paperback · Penguin UK