‘Logis in einem Landhaus’ (‘A Place in the Country’) by W.G. Sebald (Review)

I’ve read (and reread…) all of W.G. Sebald’s major works of fiction (?), but there are still a few books I’ve yet to get to, including some of his essay collections.  Today’s choice is another of those, with the late German writer casting his critical eye across several authors, and a painter, too.  A bit dry, then?  Not really.  In this late work, a lot of the lighter style of his less academic work shines through, making this an enjoyable stroll through history in the company of some fascinating people.

*****
Logis in einem Landhaus (A Place in the Country +) was published a couple of years before Sebald’s untimely death.  It consists of six essays, each devoted to one person, with plenty of room for Sebald to expand upon his chosen topic.  In many cases, he’s discussing his influences, and introducing us to people who helped him become the writer he is.

Where a couple of previous collections (Die Beschreibung des Unglücks and Unheimliche Heimat) focused on Austrian writers, there’s a distinctly Swiss feel to Logis in einem Landhaus, with four of the five writers born there.  Starting with Johann Peter Hebel, and a look at his ‘Kalendargeschichten’ (short stories originally included in calendars), we move on to Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Gottfried Keller, before learning all about a man Sebald often mentions, Robert Walser.  The odd one out here is Eduard Mörike, but even he has a Swiss connection, having visited the country frequently.

As you’d expect, there are several mentions of the writers’ major works.  We take a stroll through Keller’s Der grüne Heinrich, for example, with Sebald pointing out the many love scenes, far removed from Keller’s own unhappy personal life.  There’s also time for a look at Hebel’s stories and a glimpse of some of Walser’s novels.

In truth, though, Sebald is more interested in the men than in their work.  The essays run in a rough chronological order, taking us through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in the company of men reacting to changes in society and the world.  Rousseau, for example, seeks sanctuary throughout Switzerland after his radical views get him into hot water with both the French government and the church, while Keller’s focus is often on the downside of progress:

Es ist nicht das geringste Verdienst Kellers, daß er so früh die oft irreparablen Schäden erkannte, die die Proliferation des Kapitals zwangsläufig auslöst in der Natur, in der Gesellschaft und im Gefühlsleben der Menschen.
‘Hier kommt der Tod, die Zeit geht hin’, p.104 (Fischer, 2015)

It is far from the least of Keller’s merits that he recognised so early on the often irreparable harm that the proliferation of capital necessarily causes to nature, to society and to people’s private lives.
‘Here comes Death, Time is Departing’ *** (my translation)

In many ways, he’s prescient in his fears of the devastating effects of technological progress.

Other threads include the writers’ lack of success in love, with several remaining unmarried (e.g. Keller and Walser), as well as a tendency to be unable to stop writing, with Walser one of the unfortunates here:

Sicher ist nur, daß er in einem fort schreibt, mit immer größer werdender Mühe; auch als die Nachfrage nach seinen Sachen sinkt, schreibt er Tag für Tag weiter, bis an die Schmerzgrenze heran und nicht selten, denke ich mir, ein Stück über sie hinaus.
‘ Le promeneur solitaire’, pp.131/2

All we can be sure of is that he continues to write, with ever increasing difficulty; even when the demand for his work diminishes, he writes on day after day, up to the pain barrier and not infrequently, I believe, a little beyond. ***

Several of Sebald’s subjects seemed to actively dislike writing, but simply couldn’t help themselves, even doddering around in their old age with a pencil and scraps of paper in case inspiration struck…

I found the earlier essay collections hard work at times, a little dry and academic with lots of endnotes, but Logis in einem Landhaus came at a time in Sebald’s career when his non-fiction approach was far closer to that of his fiction.  There’s the usual abundance of visual stimulation, leisurely anecdotes and a tendency to add a personal touch, as is the case in the Rousseau essay:

Ende September 1965, nachdem ich zur Fortsetzung meines Studiums in die französische Schweiz gegangen war, machte ich, ein paar Tage vor Semesterbeginn, einen Ausflug in das Seeland, wo ich von Ins aus auf den sogenannten Schattenrain hinaufgestiegen bin.
‘J’aurais voulu que ce lac eût été l’océan’, p.45

At the end of September 1965, after I had moved to the French-speaking part of Switzerland to continue my studies, I embarked, a few days before the start of the semester, upon an excursion to the lake district, where, starting from Ins, I climbed the so-called Schattenrain. ***

Along with the story of Rousseau’s issues, we join Sebald for his stay on an island in the middle of a lake, and at the very hotel, where Rousseau stayed – all reminiscent of Die Ringe des Saturn.

Although Logis in einem Landhaus is generally enjoyable, the least successful part is probably the section on Mörike – he’s not a writer I’ve tried, and this essay wouldn’t draw me to his work.  Sebald focuses here on the post-Napoleonic age, one of resignation, but the end result is simply a little dull (both the essay and the man, by the sound of things…).

The bonus piece is an essay on Belgian painter Jan Peter Tripps, and while I’m not really sure why it’s here, it’s a nice read all the same.  This time we’re in the hands of Sebald the art critic, musing on the hyperreality of Tripps’ work and ending, as you do, with a picture of a dog.  No, I have no idea what it’s all about, but funnily enough, it works well as a nice coda to the collection.

I’m not sure this is a book for everyone, but if you’re a Sebald completist (like me), then you’re bound to lap it up.  There are times when the magic shines through, even if it’s not quite as consistently wonderful as his better-known works.  At any rate, I’ll keep on looking out for affordable copies of his work online (postage to Australia tends to make things rather pricey), and I’m sure I’ll be giving this one another try, too, in due course.

+ Available in Jo Catling’s translation from Penguin Books