The Rings of Saturn
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The Rings of Saturn. 1999, New Directions Publishers.
The second novel of W.G. Sebald to be translated into English, The Rings of Saturn is a marvelous account of the narrator's [Sebald himself?] walking tour of southeastern England. In addition to describing the places he sees and people he encounters (including noted translator Michael Hamburger), the narrator also discusses various episodes of history and literature, including the introduction of silkworm cultivation to Europe and the writings of Thomas Browne, which attach in some way to the larger text. Erudite, inviting, and surprising, it is a book to savor.