W. G. Sebald sets out on foot through the county of Suffolk, on the east coast of England, and recounts his walk in a series of meditations. As he moves along the shore, the places he visits lead him to think about silk, herring, Thomas Browne's skull, the Dutch painter Rembrandt, Chateaubriand, Empress Cixi's court, a vanished manor house, and the decline of sea towns. The book mixes travel writing, history and fiction, with photographs. A fragmentary, wandering form lets Sebald link small objects with large events of destruction and loss.
It suits readers who like essays that drift between topics and feel dreamlike. It rewards slow reading and is a good entry to Sebald's unusual style. It offers plenty to talk over with a friend or a reading group once you reach the last page.
Deep, inward-looking, contemplative and open-ended; a demanding read.
Best for readers like The Wisdom Collector. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1997
- Publisher
- S. Fischer
- ISBN
- 9783596136551
- Language
- DE
