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W.G. Sebald completed this extraordinary and important -- and already controversial -- book before his untimely death in December 2001. On the Natural History of Destruction is W.G. Sebald's harrowing and precise investigation of one of the least examined "silences" of our time. In it, the acclaimed novelist examines the devastation of German cities by Allied bombardment, and the reasons for the astonishing absence of this unprecedented trauma from German history and culture. This void in history is in part a repression of things -- such as the death by fire of the city of Hamburg at the hands of the RAF -- too terrible to bear. But rather than record the crises about them, writers sought to retrospectively justify their actions under the Nazis. For Sebald, this is an example of deliberate cultural amnesia; his analysis of its effects in and outside Germany has already provoked angry and painful debate. Sebald's incomparable novels are rooted in meticulous observation; his essays are novelistic. They include his childhood recollections of the war that spurred his horror at the collective amnesia around him. There are moments of black humour and, throughout, the unmatched sensitivity of Sebald's intelligence. This book is a vital study of suffering and forgetting, of the morality hidden in artistic decisions, and of both compromised and genuine heroics.From the Hardcover edition.
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Subjects
British Aerial operations, German literature, History and criticism, Criticism and interpretation, Aerial Bombing, Nonfiction, World War, 1939-1945, Destruction and pillage, History, Literature and the war, World war, 1939-1945, literature and the war, German literature, history and criticism, 20th century, Bombing, aerial, World war, 1939-1945, destruction and pillage, New York Times reviewed, War and literature, Guerre aérienne, Littérature allemande, Andra världskriget 1939-1945, Tysk litteratur, Historia, Flygbombning, World War (1939-1945) fast (OCoLC)fst01180924, World war, 1939-1945--literature and the war, German literature--history and criticism, German literature--20th century--history and criticism, Bombing, aerial--germany, World war, 1939-1945--destruction and pillage, World war, 1939-1945--destruction and pillage--germany, Pt405 .s4313 2003, 833/.91409358People
Alfred Andersch (1914-1980)Places
GermanyTimes
20th centuryShowing 8 featured editions. View all 8 editions?
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On the natural history of destruction
2004, Modern Library
in English
- Modern Library pbk. ed.
0375756574 9780375756573
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3
On the natural history of destruction
2003, Random House
in English
- 1st U.S. ed
0375504842 9780375504846
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4
On the natural history of destruction: with essays on Alfred Andersch, Jean Améry and Peter Weiss
2003, Hamish Hamilton
in English
0241141265 9780241141267
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5
On the Natural History of Destruction
2003, Random House Publishing Group
Electronic resource
in English
1588362760 9781588362766
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6
On the natural history of destruction
2003, A.A. Knopf Canada
in English
- 1st ed.
0676975291 9780676975291
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7
Luftkrieg und Literatur: mit einem Essay zu Alfred Andersch
2001, Fischer Taschenbuch
in German
3596148634 9783596148639
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8
Luftkrieg und Literatur: mit einem Essay zu Alfred Andersch
1999, C. Hanser
in German
3446196617 9783446196612
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Book Details
Edition Notes
Translation, with some added material, of: Luftkrieg und Literatur.
Includes bibliographical references.
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- Created November 2, 2008
- 4 revisions
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August 18, 2010 | Edited by IdentifierBot | added LibraryThing ID |
April 16, 2010 | Edited by bgimpertBot | Added goodreads ID. |
October 15, 2009 | Edited by WorkBot | add edition to work page |
November 2, 2008 | Created by ImportBot | Imported from University of Toronto MARC record |