Cover of Austerlitz

Austerlitz

WG Sebald, 2001

German novelist, 1944–2001.

Austerlitz is a 2001 novel by WG Sebald, translated from German.

Essential
  • Critics' Darling

On 5 of the 13 lists it was eligible for.

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At a glance

Author
WG Sebald
First published
2001
Length
448 pages (UK paperback)
Original language
Translated from German
Genre
Literary fiction, Postmodern, War and conflict

Is Austerlitz worth reading?

5 of the 13 best-of lists it could have made include it, among them The 100 best books of the 21st century (The Guardian) and The 100 best books of the 21st century (The New York Times).

ListPlaceOriginal
100 novels everyone should read (The Telegraph, 2009)No. 55See the list
The 100 best books of the 21st century (The Guardian, 2019)No. 5See the list
The 100 best books of the 21st century (The New York Times, 2024)No. 8See the list
The 100 best novels of all time (The Guardian, 2026)No. 74See the list
The 100 greatest novels of all time (The Observer, 2003)ListedSee the list

Best edition of Austerlitz

The edition we link to is the Penguin paperback (2018), 448 pages, translated by Anthea Bell.

Publisher
Penguin (paperback, 2018)
Pages
448
Translator
Anthea Bell
ISBN
9780241984482

How critics, prizes and readers rate Austerlitz

Critics rate it most highly: it earned 74% of the points available on critics' lists, against 0% on prize lists and 0% on readers' and booksellers' lists.

Critics
74%
Prizes
0%
Readers and booksellers
0%

Share of the available points it earned on each kind of list it was eligible for. How the scores work

Books like Austerlitz

If you liked Austerlitz, try Catch-22, Wolf Hall or Midnight's Children.

Lists used on this page