ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

W. G. Sebald

So, W.G. Sebald was a really smart guy who wrote really good stories. He was born in Germany a long time ago, in 1944, and when he grew up he became a teacher and a writer.

One thing that made his writing special was that he liked to mix real-life stuff with made-up stuff. He wrote about things that happened to him and things he imagined happening, all in the same story. It's like if you wrote a story about going to the beach, but then you also put in a giant octopus that you made up.

Sebald's stories were also kind of sad and serious. He wrote about things like war and death and how people can feel lonely and lost even when they're supposed to be happy. Sometimes he illustrated his stories with black and white pictures that kind of looked old-timey.

People really liked Sebald's writing because it was different and interesting, but unfortunately he died when he was only 57 years old. But his stories are still around for people to read and enjoy.