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Bagus is Currently Reading

Bagus is currently reading

Austerlitz

by W.G. Sebald

bookshelves: 2023-read, german-lit, germany, historical-fiction, currently-reading

Reading for the 2nd time

read in December 2023

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Bagus said: " The narrative of Austerlitz revolves around the theme of dislocation, entrenched in uncertainty about the origins of Jacques Austerlitz. W.G. Sebald crafts Austerlitz's tale against the backdrop of the Kindertransport—an organised rescue mission for The narrative of Austerlitz revolves around the theme of dislocation, entrenched in uncertainty about the origins of Jacques Austerlitz. W.G. Sebald crafts Austerlitz's tale against the backdrop of the Kindertransport—an organised rescue mission for Jewish children in territories occupied by Nazi Germany in the late 1930s. Austerlitz, an architectural historian and the central character, serves as a conduit for the novel's exploration of loss and identity. Adopted by Welsh parents after arriving in Britain as a Kindertransportee, Austerlitz embarks on a journey to uncover his past, with the revelation of his mother's fate in Theresienstadt and subsequent efforts to trace his father's destiny providing a gripping narrative arc.

Sebald's storytelling heavily relies on photographs. The power of visuals becomes apparent from the onset, yet reaches its zenith when Austerlitz converses with a friend of his parents who was also his former nanny, Vera, pointing to a boy in an old photo, allegedly a young Austerlitz who appears on the cover of some of the novel's editions. The uncertainty surrounding the identity and fate of individuals in the photos featured in the book mirrors the tragedy of countless lives lost, particularly in places like Theresienstadt.

Sebald adeptly captures the essence of Susan Sontag's perspective on photography. Photographs freeze individuals in time within the confines of space, creating an alternative reality and raising questions about capturing already deceased people inside the photographs themselves, making it a double murder. Yet, he celebrates their existence by giving them voices in this story to support Austerlitz’s storytelling. Sebald's narrative technique goes beyond merely recounting historical events; he gives voice to anonymous figures whose photographs remain, yet whose identities are lost to history, transforming them into messengers delivering messages from the dead.

Austerlitz, as the sole survivor in his circle, grapples with the burden of being one who stayed alive while others perished. The exploration of Austerlitz's existential questions and his struggle to find value in his survival serves as a poignant reflection on the human cost of the atrocities committed in Nazi-occupied Europe. The novel's later shift to contemporary Paris adds depth to Austerlitz's quest, revealing the impact of collections and archives on preserving memories. Sebald takes readers on a guided tour of a lost European civilisation, exploring fortresses, railway stations, concentration camps, and libraries.

Yet, what troubled me the most upon finishing this book is that we still don’t know much about Austerlitz. The story is heavily layered, told from the perspective of a narrator who recounts Austerlitz's tale, who, in turn, quotes words said by other characters. This layered approach creates a story within a story and, at times, unclear delineation between the first-person perspective of Austerlitz and the words spoken by the narrator. Austerlitz effectively remains shrouded in memory, impersonal in his storytelling, effectively concealing most facts associated with himself, which is perhaps the best allegory to depict the fate that befell many victims who perished in the atrocities committed in wartime Europe. ...more "

Dec 26, 2023 05:31AM · see review

Bagus’s Notes & Highlights

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

80 highlights

The reason death sticks so closely to life isn’t biological necessity—it’s envy. Life is so beautiful that death has fallen in love with it, a jealous, possessive love that grabs at what it can. But life leaps over oblivion lightly, losing ...more

See Bagus’s 14 books with notes and highlights…

Bagus’s Quotes

“Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal.”
― Albert Camus

tags: humanity, life, mankind, mortality

7396 likes

“Do not wait for the last judgment. It comes every day.”
― Albert Camus

1253 likes

“Man is the only creature who refuses to be what he is.”
― Albert Camus

tags: human-nature, man, mankind, philosophy

10859 likes

“Don’t walk in front of me… I may not follow
Don’t walk behind me… I may not lead
Walk beside me… just be my friend”
― Albert Camus

tags: attributed-no-source, friends, friendship, misattributed-albert-camus

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“An intellectual? Yes. And never deny it. An intellectual is someone whose mind watches itself. I like this, because I am happy to be both halves, the watcher and the watched. "Can they be brought together?" This is a practical question. We must get down to it. "I despise intelligence" really means: "I cannot bear my doubts.”
― Albert Camus

tags: intellectuals, intelligence, philosophy, scholars

2761 likes

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