Sebald’s Grave
The website Poet’s Graves has posted a photograph of W.G. Sebald’s grave in St. Andrew’s Churchyard, Framingham Earl, Norfolk, England.In addition to extensively documenting the final resting places for hundreds of poets, poetsgraves.co.uk has smaller sections for Other Writers, Musicians and Artists. It’s an addicting site. The entry on Sebald includes a link to St. Andrews Churchyard, where the photograph of Sebald’s grave originates. Their site also includes beautiful photographs of the church. [Update 8/21/07. I was too hasty. The photograph at the St. Andrews web site is not the same as the one at Poet’s Graves, so check them both out. My apologies to Cameron Self at Poet’s Grave, who is responsible for the photograph below.]
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Hi there,
Glad you liked the photo and our website. Just to let you know, this is actually my photo and isn’t the same as the one on Simon’s (excellent) churches site. (I took it last year.)
Max used to live just opposite my parent’s house in Poringland and they knew him quite well. Also, St Andrew’s Church is only about a mile from the Lowestoft Road where Max died.
Best wishes
Its funny, the attachment a reader develops for a favorite writer: seeing Sebald’s tombstone has made me sad, as if I didnt know he was dead, as if I just learned he died.
Bit slow to leave this comment, and maybe it’s an obvious point anyway – but leaving small stones on a grave is a Jewish custom, isn’t it? And a relatively unusual sight in an English churchyard. Interesting to wonder whether those leaving the stones have been Jewish themselves or have simply felt it to be an appropriate borrowing…
(Or both, obviously)
Thanks for pointing the stones out. Definitely a Jewish custom to leave stones on graves. I have no idea if it has any wider practice.
Hi Terry,
I’ve just recently uploaded a picture of Sebald’s house on my new website and thought you might be interested to see it:
http://www.literarynorfolk.co.uk/p.htm
Look under the entry for ‘Poringland’.
Best wishes
Cameron
Cameron, Thank you for the link to your photograph of Sebald’s house. Your Literary Norfolk website is terrific. Too bad the sun never seems to shine there!
Terry