W. G. Sebald quotes

W. G. Sebald was a German writer and academic, acclaimed for his innovative blend of fiction, memoir, and historical reflection. His works often explore memory, loss, and the legacy of twentieth-century trauma. He became renowned for his distinctive narrative style and influence on contemporary literature. Here are 5 of his quotes:

It is a sore point, because you do have advantages if you have access to more than one language. You also have problems, because on bad days you don't trust yourself, either in your first or your second language, and so you feel like a complete halfwit.

W. G. Sebald

People's ability to forget what they do not want to know, to overlook what is before their eyes, was seldom put to the test better than in Germany at that time.

W. G. Sebald

Where I grew up, in a remote village at the back of a valley, the old still thought the dead needed attending to - a notion so universal, it's enscribed in all religions. If you didn't, they might exact revenge upon the living.

W. G. Sebald

I've always felt that the traditional novel doesn't give you enough information about the narrator, and I think it's important to know the point of view from which these tales are told: the moral makeup of the teller.

W. G. Sebald