Episode 25: "Austerlitz" by W.G. Sebald, translated by Anthea Bell, w/ special guest Mark Haber

Memory, liminality, TikTok beefs

Hello,

In this episode we’re joined by Mark Haber of Coffee House Press (formerly of Brazos Bookstore in Houston). Mark is the author of two novels, Reinhardt’s Garden and Saint Sebastian’s Folly, and the forthcoming novel Lesser Ruins, as well as a forthcoming novella, Ada. We chat about his work as well as Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald, translated by Anthea Bell.

A quick note that there was some construction noise we didn’t detect during the recording but did get picked up by our mics. We’ve eliminated it to the best of our ability, but if you hear a bit of an odd thrumming in the background or our voices crackle, it’s not your ears.

This is a fantastic and wide-ranging conversation, really digging into a lot of what makes Sebald’s work unique (and how it does or does not influence Mark’s own work). We discuss memory, liminality, style, surveillance and organization, the lack of literary feuds on TikTok, and more.

Titles/authors mentioned:

W.G. Sebald (all of it, but especially):Vertigo, A Place in the Country, and Campo Santo

Sergio Chejfec: The Dark and My Two Worlds

Javier Marías

Franz Kafka

D.H. Lawrence: Lady Chatterley’s Lover, The Rainbow, and Sons & Lovers

Anthony Trollope (like, all of him)

Juan Jose Saer: Scars and The Sixty-Five Years of Washington

Kazuo Ishiguro: The Unconsoled

To hear more from Mark follow him on Instagram (@markhaber) and follow Coffee House on Instagram (@coffeehousepress) and Twitter (@Coffee_House_). And be sure to pre-order Lesser Ruins from your preferred indie bookseller!