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Chapter 38 - The Cult of Sebald

from Part IV - Reception and Legacy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 August 2023

Uwe Schütte
Affiliation:
Georg-August-Universität, Göttingen, Germany
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Summary

At the time of Sebald’s death in December 2001, a cult of all things “Sebaldian” was already emerging among his Anglo-American readership in particular. Since then, his consecration has reached almost hagiographic heights. His reticence in interviews and his reluctance to participate in the promotional circus of literary publishing amplified his posthumous apotheosis. The timing of his death after the release of the English translation of Austerlitz led to his rise beyond art and academia to cult author status. To many readers and even non-readers of his work, Sebald constituted a messianic exemplum of the “good German” and the “prime speaker of the Holocaust”, as well as a model proponent of the nature writing genre. This led to the creation of touristic walking routes that followed in the footsteps of his novels’ narrators, as well as social media reading groups, engendering further abstractions and misconceptions. Parodic articles emulating his style and overblown tributes only fuelled the cult’s fire. The suddenness of Sebald’s rise from obscurity to international stardom late in life, along with his unexpected demise merely half a decade later, ensure his cult status lives on.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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  • The Cult of Sebald
  • Edited by Uwe Schütte, Georg-August-Universität, Göttingen, Germany
  • Book: W. G. Sebald in Context
  • Online publication: 24 August 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009052313.039
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  • The Cult of Sebald
  • Edited by Uwe Schütte, Georg-August-Universität, Göttingen, Germany
  • Book: W. G. Sebald in Context
  • Online publication: 24 August 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009052313.039
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • The Cult of Sebald
  • Edited by Uwe Schütte, Georg-August-Universität, Göttingen, Germany
  • Book: W. G. Sebald in Context
  • Online publication: 24 August 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009052313.039
Available formats
×