The landmark, long-awaited first biography of W. G. Sebald

W.G. Sebald was one of the most extraordinary and influential writers of the twentieth century. Join Carole Angiers as she digs deep into a creative mind on the edge, finding profound empathy and paradoxical coldness, saving humour, and an elusive mix of fact and fiction in his work, as well as in his own life.

Based on years of archival research and extensive conversations with those closest to Sebald, Speak, Silence is a unique, ferociously original portrait that pushes the boundaries of biography as its subject pushed the boundaries of fiction.

Venue: Lakeside Theatre, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ

Tickets: £10 / £8 concessions (Students, Under 27s and Jobseekers)

Date and time: Tuesday 28th June, 7.00pm

Box Office: Book online or via Mercury Theatre 01206 573948

Speak, Silence: In Search of W. G. Sebald By Carole Angier

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 following his sudden death, 20 years ago. 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.

Based on years of archival research and extensive conversations with those closest to Sebald, it digs deep into a creative mind on the edge, finding profound empathy and paradoxical coldness, saving humour, and an elusive mix of fact and fiction in his work, as well as in his own life.

The result is a unique, ferociously original portrait that pushes the boundaries of biography as its subject pushed the boundaries of fiction.

Praise for Speak, Silence

‘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

‘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

‘Carole Angier’s tireless detective work has cleared up many of the mysteries, both in Sebald’s 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

About the Author

Carole Angier was born in London, and spent her early years in Canada. She returned to England where she taught English literature and philosophy, including eight years work for the Open University. Her biography of Jean Rhys (1990) was published to critical acclaim and she has subsequently published an equally acclaimed biography of Primo Levi (2002). She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. She lives in London.

Photo of Carole Angie © Claire McNamee