W. G. Sebald

Kompendienhafter Sammelband zu allen Aspekten des Werks W. G. Sebalds. Herausgegeben von merikanischen Sebald-Experten. Band 1 der neuen Reihe 'Interdisciplinary German Cultural Studies'

The novelist, poet, and essayist W. G. Sebald (1944 2001) was perhaps the most original German writer of the last decade of the 20th century (Die Ausgewanderten, Austerlitz, Luftkrieg und Literatur). His writing is marked by a unique 'hybridity' that combines characteristics of travelogue, cultural criticism, crime story, historical essay, and dream diary, among other genres. He employs layers of literary and motion picture allusions that contribute to a sometimes enigmatic, sometimes intimately familiar mood; his dominant mode is melancholy. The contributions of this anthology examine W. G. Sebald as narrator and pensive observer of history. The book includes a previously unpublished interview with Sebald from 1998.

Autorentext

Scott Denham,Davidson College, Illinois, USA; Mark McCulloh, Davidson College, Illinois, USA.

Klappentext
The novelist, poet, and essayist W. G. Sebald (1944 - 2001) was perhaps the most original German writer of the last decade of the 20th century ("Die Ausgewanderten", "Austerlitz", "Luftkrieg und Literatur"). His writing is marked by a unique 'hybridity' that combines characteristics of travelogue, cultural criticism, crime story, historical essay, and dream diary, among other genres. He employs layers of literary and motion picture allusions that contribute to a sometimes enigmatic, sometimes intimately familiar mood; his dominant mode is melancholy. The contributions of this anthology examine W. G. Sebald as narrator and pensive observer of history. The book includes a previously unpublished interview with Sebald from 1998.

Zusammenfassung

"Insgesamt ergeben die Beiträge des Bandes ein Spektrum, das Fragestellungen der Erinnerungskultur, Geschichtsrepräsentation und der literarischen Fiktion synthetisiert und an präzisen Textanalysen erprobt und somit bei der Beschäftigung mit Sebald unverzichtbar ist."
Heide Reinhäckel in: KULT_online 17/2008

"[...] very illuminating collection of essays."
Silke Arnold-de Simine in: Modern Language Review 2/2008