peter carey appeared on last week’s desert island disks. for those not familiar with this radio programme, it involves picking the 8 records, one luxury, and one book to take to a desert island from which there is no escape. actually everyone gets the bible and the complete works of shakespeare also (the early days of the show were predictable in the book-choice department). it’s one of the longest (if not the longest) running radio shows in the world. i’ve listened to it on and off for 30 years. i’ve bought a few records after hearing them first on the show, but i can’t remember buying a book - until this week.
carey chose wg sebald’s “austerlitz”, which he’d read four or five times already. i have just finished said book. mmmm.
“she said, said austerlitz”, “he said, said austerlitz”, said said said said said, said austerlitz, aaaaargh. sub-proustian garbage, with bad photographs. i can only assume i missed something but, i assure you, even were i to find myself on a desert island with this book alone, i’d be lighting a fire with its pages, not reading it for a second time.
