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Speak, Silence

In Search of W. G. Sebald

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Speak, Silence

By: Carole Angier
Narrated by: Kristin Atherton
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Bloomsbury presents Speak, Silence by Carole Angier, read by Kristin Atherton.

A SPECTATOR, NEW STATESMAN AND THE TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR

‘The best biography I have read in years' Philippe Sands
‘Spectacular’ Observer
‘A remarkable portrait’ Guardian

W. G. Sebald was one of the most extraordinary and influential writers of the twentieth century. Through books including The Emigrants, Austerlitz and The Rings of Saturn, he pursued an original literary vision that combined fiction, history, autobiography and photography and addressed some of the most profound themes of contemporary literature: the burden of the Holocaust, memory, loss and exile.

The first biography to explore his life and work, Speak, Silence pursues the true Sebald through the memories of those who knew him and through the work he left behind. This quest takes Carole Angier from Sebald’s birth as a second-generation German at the end of the Second World War, through his rejection of the poisoned inheritance of the Third Reich, to his emigration to England, exploring the choice of isolation and exile that drove his work. It digs deep into a creative mind on the edge, finding profound empathy and paradoxical ruthlessness, saving humour, and an elusive mix of fact and fiction in his life as well as work. The result is a unique, ferociously original portrait.(P)2023 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC 20th Century Art & Literature Authors Military Modern Biography War Middle Ages Imperialism
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Critic reviews

A remarkable biography . . . The first major study of revered author and academic WG Sebald reveals an obsessive and brilliant mind . . . In her long and scholarly book, a testament to the powers of research and detailed dissection, Angier has presented a remarkable portrait of a writer consumed by work
Meticulously researched … The brilliance of [this] biography, a spectacularly agile work of criticism as well as a feat of doggedly meticulous research, lies in Angier’s ability to look her subject straight in the eye while holding on to the sense of adoration that made her want to write it in the first place
The product of years of sleuthing … Angier’s openness about the difficulties she has encountered in trying to untangle [Sebald’s] enigma if anything adds to her portrait … The portrait which ultimately emerges convinces: of a tormented man, an isolated misfit, riven by self-doubt, who wrote to stave off depressive breakdowns and even madness and suicidal impulses
It is a considerable achievement to unpick, so convincingly, mysteries Sebald has taken care to contrive. And to do it with such respect, and indeed generosity, that the great originals are burnished (Iain Sinclair)
Speak, Silence is an extraordinary achievement. Carole Angier has been able to capture the genius of Sebald without trapping him in facile definitions, allowing his portrait the many hues and changing angles that those who knew him will recognize as profoundly true (Alberto Manguel)
Sebald once wrote to me that he would just like to be “a guardian of the lesser domains”. His work is enough, but this enticing and thorough book on his life and art proves that he was, in spite of his tragic and early death, an absolute master of the highest domains of literature (Javier Marías)
Carole Angier extends the scope of biography by turning her intense admiration for Sebald’s work into a personal quest for this enigmatic and disturbing writer (Hilary Spurling)
A biographer of great sympathy (Michael Holroyd)
Enthralling . . . I was exhilarated from start to finish, by subject, style and substance. It is the best biography I have read in years (Philippe Sands)
A suitably unorthodox life of this singular writer . . . Angier’s strategy pays off: this is an insightful, compulsively readable book
W.G. Sebald so deliberately and cunningly blurs the boundaries between fact and fiction in his books that every reader longs for a clear-eyed guide to what is invented and what is ‘real’, while at the same time dreading the damage this might do to the delicate webs he weaves. Carole Angier’s tireless detective work has cleared up many of the mysteries, both in his life and in his work, while her critical acumen and manifest admiration for the latter ensures that it emerges enhanced rather than diminished from her labours. A riveting book (Gabriel Josipovici)
Remarkable, the definitive biography . . . Deeply researched, subtle, sympathetic
All stars
Most relevant
rather too much detail on peripheral friends who don't appear as main characters in the novels. speaker could do with more edge. but overall was like experiencing all Sebalds work in one sitting

great background

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This is an "Unauthorised" biography, which means that many of the people who were closest to Sebald refused to cooperate with Angier, including, and especially, his wife. (Angier seems rather put out by this and, in a manner that could be interpreted as mean-spirited, barely mentions her). With such glaring and important gaps, its value as an account of Sebald's life and his personality is limited. Carole Angier's day job is as a literary critic, so she makes up what she lacks in biographical information by inferring the facts of Sebald's life and personality from his work. Given that Sebald was infamous for blurring the boundaries between fiction and reality, this is a tricky business and makes for some rather tendentious claims, particularly about the connection between Sebald's relationship with his father and his later obsession with the Holocaust.

It also makes the book a difficult one to follow. I love Sebald but have only read a couple of his novels and some of his essays. Consequently, the fact that the book alternates chapters of biography with others describing in minute detail the plots of short stories and novels from which Angier then draws her conclusions, makes it a jarring and, at times, frustrating read (or listen).

However, all of this would be made easier with a better reader. Kristin Atherton may be a good actor, but her reading is lugubrious, mannered to the point of affectation, and punctuated by bizarre pauses and emphases that do little to enhance the meaning of the words and, I feel sure, do not reflect the actual punctuation. Her tone is that employed by actors when reading poetry; a wistful, sighing delivery that seems supposed to hint at the depth and numinosity of the text. Perhaps she was trying to mimic the cadence of Sebald's prose, but the point is that this isn't Sebald; it's Angier and it's a biography, much of which is quite detailed and technical, making the tone inappropriate.

The most annoying aspect of Atherton's "performance" is her insistence on flawless pronunciation of foreign words and names. I realise that this is a thorny issue when reading text, but it sounds to me as though Atherton is trying to give us the impression that the people to whom she is referring are her constant bedtime reading! Adorno is pronounced with an almost comically exaggerated Italian accent, in spite of the fact that he was German (the name Adorno came from his mother who was Corsican, so maybe French would be better?) and his name is very commonly Anglicised by academics. Hölderlin is pronounced with an intense German accent, as are all the members of Sebald's Bavarian family. There are some real clunkers, as when his sister, Gertrud, is mentioned next to her French husband, Jean-Paul, which happens quite frequently, each name pronounced in its original accent as if it were part of a polyglottal elocution class. The best is a sentence where she pronounces three names in a row from different countries with different accents. It may be a piece of vocal virtuosity but the effect is actually more comical than anything else! All in all, the impression I get is that Kristin Atherton is much more interested in Kristin Atherton than in the text.

To summarise, the book is not without interest. Angier's exploration of the sources of Sebald's stories and the specific distortions he employed is fascinating, as is her analysis of his literary and philosophical influences. However, much of it is, necessarily, speculation, especially regarding the origins of Sebald's fascination with the Holocaust. (One interviewee, a psychoanalyst and close friend of Sebald who is apparently planning to write his own biography, told Angier she had completely misunderstood her subject, but that she would have to read his book to understand why!) As such, it leaves a great deal to be desired as a biography. It would perhaps have been better left as a work of literary criticism, but then she wouldn't have sold as many copies. This is a work which left me with a bad taste in my mouth: Biographies should be about their subjects; this one is as much about its author (and its reader) as it is about W. G. Sebald. I think he deserves better.

Strange book, poorly read.

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Of all subjects, this is one which requires a skilled, pleasing and sympathetic narrator. It is very disappointing that this is not the case here. Better to read the book, I think.

Good book, wrong narrator

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This is essential reading for anyone interested in Sebald. But the reading of this audio version is awful. The reader inserts long, totally unnecessary pauses after almost every clause, dragging out her delivery and sounding like the condescending narration of a children’s educational programme. Very, very irritating.

Fascinating and sad

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Enlightening biography. Distracted by narrator's inaccurate pronunciation of French words, why not check beforehand?

Excellent details, but many pronunciation errors

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