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Austerlitz

By W. G. Sebald
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Check link for latest rating. ( 25,959 ratings, 2,567 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Austerlitz by W. G. Sebald is a profound exploration of identity and memory following the life journey of a man named Jacques Austerlitz. Through a series of conversations and reflections, Austerlitz attempts to uncover his past after learning about his childhood evacuation from Nazi-occupied Europe. The narrative intricately weaves together elements of history, architecture, and personal discovery.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you are captivated by stories that intricately weave together history, memory, and identity. This narrative offers a profound exploration of a man's search for his past, set against the backdrop of 20th-century Europe. Its rich, evocative prose and haunting themes will appeal to readers who appreciate deep, reflective fiction.

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In 1939, five-year-old Jacques Austerlitz is sent to England on a Kindertransport and placed with foster parents. This childless couple promptly erase from the boy all knowledge of his identity and he grows up ignorant of his past.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Mesmeric, haunting and heartbreakingly tragic. A profound, alluring masterwork of singular genius — Eileen Battersby, Irish Times

In 1939, five-year-old Jacques Austerlitz is sent to England on a Kindertransport and placed with foster parents. This childless couple promptly erase from the boy all knowledge of his identity and he grows up ignorant of his past.

Later in life, after a career as an architectural historian, Austerlitz — having avoided all clues that might point to his origin — finds the past returning to haunt him and he is forced to explore what happened fifty years before.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Austerlitz by W. G. Sebald is widely acclaimed for its profound and haunting exploration of memory and history. Reviewers praise Sebald's unique narrative style, drawing comparisons to Kafka for its compelling and addictive quality. Literary critics highlight his significant contribution to Holocaust literature, standing alongside Primo Levi in addressing its complex themes. The book is recognised as a testament to literary greatness and a rare achievement in contemporary fiction.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780241951804

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 03 November 2011

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Books Ltd

Contributors:

  • Translated by Anthea Bell
  • Introduction by James Wood
  • Translated by Anthea Bell

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 27.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 313g

Pages: 448

Collections

Fiction General Fiction Literary Fiction Penguin Books W.G. Sebald

About the Author

W.G. Sebald is one of very few German writers of the last few decades to have attracted both a broad readership in the UK and an international following of journalists and scholars alike. He has proved a huge inspiration not just to younger writers but also to artists and photographers fascinated by the use of imagery and images in his work. His books include The Emigrants, The Rings of Saturn and After Nature.

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  • Austerlitz
    Austerlitz is Sebald's heartbreaking and profound masterpiece depicting a man's journey through European history, now published as an Essential for the first time. In 1939, five-year-old Jacques Austerlitz is sent to England on a Kindertransport and placed with foster parents. This childless couple promptly erase from the boy all knowledge of his identity, and he grows up ignorant of his...
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  • The Rings of Saturn
    The Rings of Saturn by W.G. Sebald offers a captivating exploration of both the external and internal landscapes that define our existence. The narrative begins as a straightforward account of a walking tour through the haunted coastal regions of East Anglia. Sebald embarks on this solitary journey on foot, moving from Lowestoft to Southwold to Bungay. As he traverses the...
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  • The Emigrants
    A new, modern look for Sebald's classic trilogy of books - Vertigo, The Emigrants and The Rings of Saturn - 20 years after the tragic death of one of our most pioneering and cherished writers. A book of excruciating sobriety and warmth and a magical concreteness of observation... I know of no book which conveys more about that complex fate,...
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    From acclaimed critic, novelist and academic W. G. Sebald, author of Austerlitz and The Rings of Saturn, comes a collection of essays on the Austrian writers who meant so much to him. As a German in self-chosen exile from his country of birth, Sebald found a particular affinity with these writers from a neighbouring nation. The traumatic evolution of Austria...
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