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Austerlitz

By W. G. Sebald
Series: Penguin Essentials
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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 the haunting and intricate tale of a man named Jacques Austerlitz, who attempts to uncover his own mysterious past after being brought to Britain as a child refugee from Nazi-occupied Europe. Through evocative descriptions and personal memories, the narrative explores themes of identity, memory, and the impact of history on individual lives. The book weaves together a rich tapestry of historical and architectural details, drawing readers into Austerlitz's poignant journey of self-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 poignant narratives that interweave memory, identity, and history. The story delves into the complexities of a man's search for his own past amidst the remnants of European history, resonating with readers who appreciate thoughtful, introspective storytelling with richly detailed observations.

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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

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 past.

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

Series: Penguin Essentials

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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?

The book by W. G. Sebald is praised as a work of genius, with the author regarded as an extraordinary writer standing above his contemporaries. It's noted for its moving narrative that explores European history, earning comparisons to Joyce and being described as one of the most significant works of fiction on the postwar world. Sebald is hailed by some as the greatest writer of our time.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780241984482

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 07 June 2018

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: 26.0mm

Width: 111.0mm

Height: 180.0mm

Weight: 244g

Pages: 448

Collections

Biography & Memoir Fiction General Fiction Literary Fiction Penguin Books Series: Penguin Essentials W.G. Sebald

About the Author

W. G. Sebald was born in Wertach im Allg u, Germany, in 1944 and died in December 2001. He studied German language and literature in Freiburg, Switzerland and Manchester. In 1966 he took up a position as an assistant lecturer at the University of Manchester and settled permanently in England in 1970. He was Professor of European Literature at the University of East Anglia and is the author of The Emigrants, The Rings of Saturn, Vertigo, Austerlitz, After Nature, On the Natural History of Destruction, Unrecounted, Campo Santo, A Place in the Country and a selection of poetry, Across the Land and the Water.

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  • Austerlitz
    Mesmeric, haunting and heartbreakingly tragic. A profound, alluring masterwork of singular genius β€” 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...
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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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