Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald, pages 151 to end

[George]

Please comment here on Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald, pages 151 to end.

[Irene]

I finished and honestly, I don't get why this is a major award winner. I struggled to focus when I was reading it. I did not care where the story was going or about the characters. I did not enjoy the writing style. Just not my type of book.

[George]

Yes, I can understand where you're coming from. It's not an enjoyable or entertaining read and dull in places. The descriptions of the walks sometimes worked for me and at other times I struggled to stay attentive. The photos occasionally were poignant and at other times meant nothing to me.

Notwithstanding the above I found the novel an overall mesmerising, interestingly unique, memorable read. The long sentences help to give the read a foggy, mesmerising feel. I felt at times drawn in to Austerlitz's search for information. The story had a very real, biographical tone.

It's certainly an original writing style. There is not much in the way of character development and not many plot events, yet I finished the book with the feeling I will not forget the overall content and prose tone.

[Irene]

Thanks for sharing the impact the book had on you. I can see how it could mezmorize. I suspect I was reading it when I was too tired to give it the attention it needed.

[Mary]

I appreciate this novel as a work of art. It was a difficult read and I cannot say I enjoyed it (perhaps it was not the author's intention to make this an enjoyable read). It certainly have me plenty of food for thought.

This was the first time I've read a book about the horrors of the Nazi regime, written by a German.  We're reading a translation (which according to my research is in a more accessible format for reading than the German language version -- there are no paragraph breaks in the original version and some of the sentences were shortened for the translation!). 

I noticed the themes about the irrelevance/fallacy of time and the veil between those living and those gone before us. Much was written about the connection between the living and the dead.  In fact, that's what had the most impact for me -- the author's and Austerlitz's musings about the relationship between the living and the dead. 

[George]

Thanks for your comments Mary. The sentences are even longer in German! I also gained the sense of the book being about the dead and remembering the distant past. By exposing oneself to certain places can bring out memories and feelings about people in your past. The information provided on Nazi behaviour was concise and not embellished. For example, crowding 60,000 people in a small space and the number of Nazis employed cataloging confiscated items. Austerlitz’s reaction to visiting the campsite his mother was commanded to go to, is one of tenderness, bewilderment, even pity. The horrific isn’t exaggerated.

I read somewhere that Sebald’s parents and German people in general had a kind of tacit agreement to remain silent as they felt a great deal of shame. This silence pervaded throughout Germany for many years after the end of World War II.