Book review: ‘W.G. Sebald’ by Uwe Schütte

This short, useful book explores the life and major works of W.G. Sebald—a writer whose enigmatic, haunting ‘prose fiction’ and poetry I keep returning to in the hope of some day fathoming what I’ve just read.

Schütte was Sebald’s only post-graduate student between 1992 and 1997: a time during which Sebald’s reputation soared.

Sebald famously blended fact with fiction, and text with images. Schütte provides insightful commentary on each work. He is particularly interesting when describing which elements of Sebald’s work were based on real events, which were distorted or entirely fabricated. As you would expect with Sebald, however, the distinction is not always clear.

A must-read for all Sebald fans.