Reality or fiction? As in other novels by German author Winfried Georg Sebald (1944–2001), this is the question that haunts readers of Vertiges. In W.G. Sebald’s illustrated novels, the images add a very special layer of meaning to the content. The author, in his precisely crafted sentences, does not shy away from melancholy. He takes the time to tell stories in a playful and generous way, where amusing coincidences arise from unlikely serendipity. While stylistically the work deals largely with the history of literature, in terms of content it also focuses on the perception of our complex history. Everything oscillates between memory and reality.

“Almost by chance, since our office was founded, we have been working on buildings – listed or otherwise – that have a strong historical context. Beyond reading the history of these places, the realisation that our interventions are somehow rewriting that history has gradually turned into a real fascination.