W. G. Sebald was a German author known for his unique blend of fiction and memoir. His acclaimed novels, notably The Emigrants and Austerlitz, explore memory, loss, and history through subtle yet powerful narratives.
If you enjoy reading books by W. G. Sebald then you might also like the following authors:
Teju Cole writes thoughtful fiction, combining memory, travel, and personal reflection in subtle prose. Like Sebald, his novels feel almost photographic, layering observations and contemplations about the world around him.
In Open City, we meet Julius, a Nigerian psychiatrist, who walks through New York City, noticing small details and pondering questions of identity, displacement, and history.
Kazuo Ishiguro's novels often explore subtle emotions and the fragility of memory. He draws you in gently, making you feel the quiet uncertainties beneath his characters' human relationships.
In The Remains of the Day, we follow Stevens, an English butler whose restrained narrative slowly reveals regret and emotional loss, themes Sebald readers might deeply appreciate.
Patrick Modiano's understated novels often narrate a journey through memory and place, wrestling with anonymity, fading recollections, and uncertain identity. Like Sebald, he frequently circles themes of displacement and the search for meaning.
In Missing Person (Rue des Boutiques Obscures), the narrator, an amnesiac, searches Paris streets and his unclear memories—grappling for his lost identity amid the city's shifting shadows.
Jorge Luis Borges writes profoundly inventive short stories, where reality and imagination blend seamlessly. Like Sebald, Borges explores philosophical questions of memory, history, and identity, although often through more fantastical paths.
In Ficciones, Borges's influential collection, each story invites readers to reflect on perception, time, and the labyrinths of memory.
Robert Walser gently writes about everyday life with humor, observation, and quiet melancholy. Like Sebald, his works often have a meditative feel, showing characters wandering, noticing life's small oddities, and internally reflecting.
The Walk perfectly represents this style, where the narrator walks through town, pausing along the way to contemplate and comment on people, landscapes, and the shopping windows around him.
If you're drawn to Sebald's melancholy, reflective style, Thomas Bernhard could be a great choice. The Austrian author's writing often explores memory, isolation, and human absurdity, told through narrators with sharp, obsessive inner monologues.
His novel The Loser, for instance, follows a failed pianist grappling with envy and artistic obsession in a wry and contemplative narrative.
Portuguese author Fernando Pessoa often explores fractured identities and existential themes by using multiple personas, or "heteronyms," each with their own distinctive voice and viewpoint. His style has a lyrical sadness and introspection that may remind you of Sebald.
In his major work, The Book of Disquiet, Pessoa captures the quiet struggles and inner landscape of a solitary Lisbon bookkeeper.
Anne Carson offers thoughtful and experimental prose informed by poetry, myth, and literary references. Like Sebald, she mixes genres, creating unique narratives filled with intellectual curiosity and emotional depth.
Her book Autobiography of Red reimagines an ancient Greek myth as a contemporary coming-of-age story in innovative verse form, inviting deep reflection on identity, love, and loss.
Ben Lerner writes novels that blend personal reflection with philosophical and cultural critique. With a style that's thoughtful yet approachable, he explores the shifting boundaries between reality and fiction and questions of selfhood much like Sebald does.
His novel 10:04 interweaves autobiography and fiction, offering introspection on art, identity, and the strange, uncertain world we inhabit.
Rachel Cusk writes novels marked by their introspection, honesty, and curiosity about human experience and social relationships. Like Sebald, Cusk favors reflective narrators who explore themes of identity, loss, and change.
Her book Outline presents a narrative formed largely through conversations, subtly sketching a portrait of the narrator and those she meets, creating a thoughtful exploration of storytelling itself.
László Krasznahorkai's novels create an atmosphere of endless movement and quiet despair. His sentences stretch across pages, pulling readers into an almost hypnotic rhythm. He explores themes of alienation, existential anxiety, and the decay of society.
His novel Satantango captures this vividly, depicting a bleak Hungarian village stuck in a cycle of ruin and hope.
Enrique Vila-Matas blurs the boundary between biography, fiction, and literary commentary, turning literature itself into a character of his novels. He often writes about the meaning of creativity, the life of writers, and the delicate line between reality and imagination.
Bartleby & Co. exemplifies his style, exploring the theme of writers who suddenly stop writing, blending fact and fiction into something witty and thought-provoking.
Svetlana Alexievich is an author who preserves collective memory and personal testimony through interviews woven together into powerful narratives. Her work captures voices often overlooked, reflecting deeply human experiences amid historical upheaval.
In Voices from Chernobyl, she gives expressive power to the survivors' accounts, providing a deeply emotional yet clear-eyed view of tragedy and resilience.
André Breton's writing stands at the heart of Surrealism. His work investigates dreams, imagination, and the irrational aspects of human existence, questioning traditional realities.
In his influential novel Nadja, he explores an intense, dream-like relationship, blending autobiography and fiction, and creating a thoughtful meditation on perception, identity, and madness.
Adam Thirlwell approaches storytelling like a playful experiment, breaking conventions and playing with perspectives. He often explores themes of translation, authorship, and cultural intersections in clever, amusing ways.
His novel Politics offers readers a comical yet insightful exploration of love, desire, and power dynamics, all handled with charming irreverence.