A Place in the Country
W?G Sebald
Hamish Hamilton
Dh115
Eduard Mörike, the German Romantic poet, is more famous in the English-speaking world for his slender, gem-like novel, Mozart's Journey to Prague. In it, the composer's destination plays second fiddle to his mindset during his trip. Not only are we privy to Mozart's personal thoughts, we also get a glimpse of his creative processes. At one point in the journey he takes a break and, surveying his peaceful surroundings, wonders what it would be like to flee the hustle and bustle of the city for good and compose his scores with help from "Nature and her bounty". "If only I had a small property, a little house at the edge of a village in lovely countryside, what a new lease of life that would be!"
Mörike was not the only German-speaking writer to recreate the pastoral yearnings of a real-life cultural figure. In 1913 Robert Walser penned one of his finest short stories, Kleist in Thun, in which he reimagines the German dramatist's sojourn in Walser's native Switzerland in 1801. This story captivated the German novelist W?G Sebald, who was particularly drawn to the bleak-upbeat contrast of a writer despairing of himself and his talents amid the mesmerising beauty of the surrounding landscape.
Both Mörike and Walser are the subjects of essays in A Place in the Country, the latest collection of Sebald’s essays to appear in English since his untimely death in 2001. The book’s title is a quotation from Walser’s Kleist story, and seems fitting as most of the essays here touch on the typical Sebaldian theme of locality, specifically rural retreat, and the sense of sanctuary or dislocation it engenders. Sebald’s last volume of essays, Campo Santo (2003), combined thoughts on Corsica with illuminating pieces on Kafka, Bruce Chatwin and Günter Grass. A Place in the Country focuses entirely on people – five German or Swiss writers plus the artist Jan Peter Tripp – all of whom have helped shape Sebald as a writer. (Tripp, the only contemporary one, even collaborated with Sebald, his lithographs complementing Sebald’s poems in Unrecounted.) As with Sebald’s novels, each essay is composed of long paragraphs that unfold languorously over pages, sentences that incorporate English, French and German, and scatterings of beautiful and beguiling photographs – if not of the author under scrutiny then of people and places relating to Sebald’s many discursive tangents.
In the book’s foreword Sebald explains how in the autumn of 1966 he set off from Switzerland to Manchester with battered copies of books by Walser, Gottfried Keller and Johann Peter Hebel. Although these “hapless” writers found themselves at some point in their lives stuck in their “web of words”, they nevertheless succeeded in “opening up vistas of such beauty and intensity as life itself is scarcely able to provide”. This book, then, is a “tribute” to them, a paean expressing Sebald’s “unwavering affection”. The reader will not be familiar with every writer – Mörike and Hebel are not household names like Goethe and Thomas Mann – but Sebald as a guide speaks to the initiated and the uninitiated alike, entrancing both readerships with his lapidary style, searing character studies and blend of erudition and personal anecdotes.
He starts with Hebel, asserting that his classic Treasure Chest of the Rhineland Family Friend is "one of the purest examples of German literature". The essay is in many ways representative of those that follow. Topics serve as springboards for new ideas, trains of thought hold fast then waver and branch out in different directions. Suddenly close readings of Hebel's 19th-century poems give way to meditations on the fall of Napoleon and collapse of France, and how "from its smouldering ruins there also arose the new and terrifying Deutschland". The effect of the Second World War and the Holocaust on Sebald's generation of Germans is another recurring theme in his work, one he explored at length in the masterly Austerlitz (2001) and the essay collection On the Natural History of Destruction (1999). Its reappearance in these essays on long-dead German and Swiss writers is, in Sebald's skilled hands, no off-topic add-on but an ingeniously interwoven leitmotif.
Other stepping stones pave equally unexpected ways, taking us well off the originally beaten track. The Mörike essay (actually a prize-winning acceptance speech) flits from the author’s student days in Tübingen to Biedermeier art to comparisons with Schubert. In the Keller piece, Sebald highlights the treatment of Jews in his work before veering off to comment on the plight of Swiss governesses forced to find work “in lands far distant from their home cantons” and various “androgynous” portraits of Keller. The more obscure the digressions, the more rapt we become. At times that peripheral trivia is no more than an aesthetic side dish; at other times it feeds back into the main mix and provides a greater understanding of each writer’s craft.
There are two standout essays here. The Rousseau piece deals predominantly with Sebald following in Rousseau’s footsteps by visiting the Île Saint-Pierre, the island “paradise in miniature” to which the philosopher fled in 1765. Rousseau wrote much of his Reveries of the Solitary Walker there, and Sebald is given to doing just that – losing himself in thought and walking. Solitary walkers can be glimpsed traversing all of Sebald’s fictional landscapes. The Rings of Saturn (1995) tracks a character, also named Sebald, on a walking tour of Suffolk. In one section of Vertigo (1990) we accompany an unnamed narrator (who again may well be Sebald) on a walking tour of Vienna that is “without aim or purpose”.
The solitary walker returns in the best essay here on Robert Walser. Sebald traces Walser’s tragic life from awkward youth to asylum inmate, while attempting to critique his “literary fantasias” despite the odds stacked against him: “How is one to understand an author who was so beset by shadows and who, none the less, illumined every page with the most genial light?”
Sebald's riffs this time around encompass a portrait of his own grandfather who looked like Walser and a convincing case for Nikolai Gogol as Walser's immediate literary predecessor. Curiously, though, despite making much of Walser's peregrinations, Sebald has nothing to say on Walser's last walk, his one-way trek on Christmas Day, 1956, from the asylum to a snowy field where he was later found frozen to death. Also, Sebald mentions Walser's stay in Berlin from 1905 to 1913 but then laments "so little does he tell us about the German metropolis". If only Sebald had lived to read Berlin Tales, published last year, Walser's wonderful (and detailed) journalistic account of his time in the capital.
But the Walser essay reveals far more than it omits. Better still, as we read it a pattern emerges – a delicate, though discernible, tracery of links with the other writers Sebald has covered. Keller's frequent bouts of unrequited love echo Walser's voyeuristic lusting after chambermaids, women always "beings from a distant star". Rousseau and Walser both walked miles while lost in thought (Sebald even appropriates Rousseau's book title – Le promeneur solitaire – for the title of his Walser essay). Walking, water, war, exile, homeland, memory, musing – all themes and motifs recur again and again. References to Nabokov cropped up in each of the four sections of The Emigrants (1992); in these essays it is Walter Benjamin quotes that help bind. Towards the end, Sebald discloses that "I have slowly learned to grasp how everything is connected across space and time", and we agree: what started out as a collection of stand-alone essays becomes one in which each of the finely wrought parts subtly interlock.
In a 1993 interview, Sebald admitted: “My medium is prose, not the novel.” And yet in his foreword here he is somewhat self-deprecating about his essays, describing them as mere “extended marginal notes and glosses”. He was in any case better than he thought. Those glorious, multilayered novels are dreamy, at times disorienting, fusions of fact and fiction. These essays are also hybrids, a clever amalgam of biography, critical analysis and creative writing. At the beginning of A Place in the Country he reflects on the writers (“colleagues”) he has studied and comes to the conclusion that “there seems to be no remedy for the vice of literature; those afflicted persist in the habit despite the fact that there is no longer any pleasure to be derived from it”. It is our loss that Sebald is not with us to persist in his “habit”, whatever the literary form. These essays prove that if any pleasure was lacking in the crafting of them, a great deal is to be had in reading them.
Malcolm Forbes is a freelance essayist and reviewer.
thereview@thenational.ae
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Medicus AI
Started: 2016
Founder(s): Dr Baher Al Hakim, Dr Nadine Nehme and Makram Saleh
Based: Vienna, Austria; started in Dubai
Sector: Health Tech
Staff: 119
Funding: €7.7 million (Dh31m)
Company%20profile
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh132,000 (Countryman)
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
How to tell if your child is being bullied at school
Sudden change in behaviour or displays higher levels of stress or anxiety
Shows signs of depression or isolation
Ability to sleep well diminishes
Academic performance begins to deteriorate
Changes in eating habits
Struggles to concentrate
Refuses to go to school
Behaviour changes and is aggressive towards siblings
Begins to use language they do not normally use
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
'Top Gun: Maverick'
Rating: 4/5
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Ed Harris
The Old Slave and the Mastiff
Patrick Chamoiseau
Translated from the French and Creole by Linda Coverdale
Key products and UAE prices
iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229
iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649
iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179
Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.
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%3Cp%3E%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenationalnews.com%2Fbusiness%2Feconomy%2Fislamic-economy-consumer-spending-to-increase-45-to-3-2tn-by-2024-1.936583%22%20target%3D%22_self%22%3EGlobal%20Islamic%20economy%20to%20grow%203.1%25%20to%20touch%20%242.4%20trillion%20by%202024%3C%2Fa%3E%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenationalnews.com%2Fbusiness%2Feconomy%2Fuk-economy-plunges-into-worst-ever-recession-after-record-20-4-contraction-1.1062560%22%20target%3D%22_self%22%3EUK%20economy%20plunges%20into%20worst-ever%20recession%20after%20record%2020.4%25%20contraction%3C%2Fa%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenationalnews.com%2Fbusiness%2Feconomy%2Fislamic-economy-consumer-spending-to-increase-45-to-3-2tn-by-2024-1.936583%22%20target%3D%22_self%22%3EIslamic%20economy%20consumer%20spending%20to%20increase%2045%25%20to%20%243.2tn%20by%202024%3C%2Fa%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
The%20specs%3A%202024%20Mercedes%20E200
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How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
- Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
- Rational thinking: Breathe and avoid emotional decision-making; let logic and planning guide your actions.
- Strategic patience: Understand why you’re investing and allow time for your strategies to unfold.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Crazy Rich Asians
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeon, Gemma Chan
Four stars
HIV on the rise in the region
A 2019 United Nations special analysis on Aids reveals 37 per cent of new HIV infections in the Mena region are from people injecting drugs.
New HIV infections have also risen by 29 per cent in western Europe and Asia, and by 7 per cent in Latin America, but declined elsewhere.
Egypt has shown the highest increase in recorded cases of HIV since 2010, up by 196 per cent.
Access to HIV testing, treatment and care in the region is well below the global average.
Few statistics have been published on the number of cases in the UAE, although a UNAIDS report said 1.5 per cent of the prison population has the virus.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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OTHER IPL BOWLING RECORDS
Best bowling figures: 6-14 – Sohail Tanvir (for Rajasthan Royals against Chennai Super Kings in 2008)
Best average: 16.36 – Andrew Tye
Best economy rate: 6.53 – Sunil Narine
Best strike-rate: 12.83 – Andrew Tye
Best strike-rate in an innings: 1.50 – Suresh Raina (for Chennai Super Kings against Rajasthan Royals in 2011)
Most runs conceded in an innings: 70 – Basil Thampi (for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2018)
Most hat-tricks: 3 – Amit Mishra
Most dot-balls: 1,128 – Harbhajan Singh
Most maiden overs bowled: 14 – Praveen Kumar
Most four-wicket hauls: 6 – Sunil Narine
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
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The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
