W. G. Sebald’s theology: A heretic mounts the pulpit

This essay traces a number of ways in which theological matters mark the work of the German author and critic W. G. Sebald (1944–2001). It concentrates on Sebald’s relatively neglected critical writing belonging to the first two decades of his career (c. 1969–1989). Founded on original archival research and a close examination of Sebald’s religious background and reading, this essay argues that, contrary to the author’s disavowals and his critics’ disinterest, theological concerns determined his own critical perspective in far-reaching ways. This essay demonstrates how Sebald considered humankind to be essentially guilt-laden, with severely limited hopes for salvation. This view gave the impetus to, and prescribed the limits of, Sebald’s critical mode, which combines the wilful eccentricity of the heretic with the moral fervour of the preacher.