Austerlitz: Analysis of Major Characters

Author: Winfried Georg Sebald

First published: 2001 (English translation, 2001)

Genre: Novel

Locale: Antwerp, Belgium; Paris, France; Bala, Wales; Prague and Terezín, Czechoslovakia; London, England

Plot: Historical

Time: 1939 to late 1990s

Jacques “Jacquot” Austerlitz, an architectural historian with wavy, light hair. He has a youthful appearance throughout his life and almost always wears the rough clothes of a working man. He is raised without knowledge of his past, having been sent on the children's transport to an adoptive family in order to escape the violence of the Nazis, and consequently feels deeply emotionally unsettled. He has never worn a watch or owned a clock and feels that time is an open expanse. His notable intelligence became evident at an early age, and he was even able to hold a conversation by the age of three. Later in life, this intelligence results in his obsessive scholarly work in architecture and history, particularly the design of railway stations, although these preoccupations are also subconscious attempts to discover his past. He spends years avoiding knowledge of Germany and usually feels isolated from other people.

The narrator, an unnamed scholar originally from Germany who connects with Austerlitz throughout his life. His many travels to do research and his interest in architecture result in his constant chance meetings with Austerlitz. He is content to listen to the other man's long stories and lectures.

Emyr Elias, a thin Calvinist minister who, with his wife, adopts Austerlitz. He rarely speaks of anything but religion and contains his emotions, although occasionally he expresses happiness when riding through the country. When his wife dies, he falls into a depression from which he never recovers.

Gwendolyn Elias, a pale, tired-looking woman who, with her husband, adopts Austerlitz. She barely connects with her adoptive son emotionally and dies while he is still young.

Mr. Penrith-Smith, the headmaster of Stower Grange, the school Austerlitz attends. He is a friendly and kind man who genuinely cares for his students, although he fails to prevent the daily adolescent cruelties that are common in the social world of the boys. He always wears frayed and dusty clothes.

André Hilary, Austerlitz's teacher who specializes in Napoleon and the Napoleonic Wars. He recognizes that Austerlitz has incredible intellectual talent and supports him early on, even trying to get naturalization for the young boy. Because of slipped discs in his back, he often teaches while lying on the floor.

Gerald Fitzpatrick, a childhood friend of Austerlitz and a flight enthusiast. Although unpopular at boarding school and racked with homesickness, his friendship with the older Austerlitz gives him a sense of belonging and social pride. He turns against the Catholicism of his family and embraces naturalism. His childhood obsession with birds leads him to a career in astrophysics and a hobby of flying planes. To escape his unhappiness at the school after the departure of Austerlitz, he joins the air cadet corps. Eventually, his passion ends with his death in a plane crash.

Adela Fitzpatrick, a widow and the mother of Gerald. After her husband dies in war, she lives with her male family members in a country house in Barmouth, a small town on the coast of Wales.

Evelyn Fitzpatrick, Gerald's uncle. He has difficulty walking and seems prematurely aged due to the effects of Bechterew's disease (now known as “ankylosing spondylitis,” a type of joint inflammation of the spine). A devout Catholic, he tries to live as spare and modest a life as possible in order to devote more time and resources to his religious beliefs.

Alphonso Fitzpatrick, Gerald's great-uncle and the oldest man in the Fitzpatrick family. A naturalist, he has a youthful appearance and energy and prefers to spend most of his time outdoors. He shares his love of nature and of moths in particular with his grandnephew and Austerlitz.

Vera Ryšanová, a frail older woman who was Austerlitz's nanny. She partially raised Austerlitz and considers his mother a sister. When the family disappears in the violence of World War II, she falls into a deep depression, leaving her own apartment largely unchanged from that point forward. She has studied romance languages and loves French culture. Her reconnection with Austerlitz, whom she calls Jacquot, is a source of great relief and joy in her older age.

Agáta Austerlitz, a Jewish opera singer and Austerlitz's birth mother. Although she appears very gloomy at first, she is a kind person and slowly warms to people. She loves French culture. She remains optimistic even as the Nazis rise to power, although once she is forced to live under Nazi rule, she finds herself slipping into despair, unable to comprehend the cruelty she faces. She never marries Austerlitz's father, despite caring for him.

Maximilian Aychenwald, a leading figure in the Czech Social Democratic Party who moves to Prague from St. Petersburg. He is Austerlitz's birth father and, like Agáta, loves French culture and language. He becomes very concerned as the Nazis rise to power and even goes to Germany to investigate them in person. He leaves for Paris before they take over his home.

Tereza Ambrosová, a pale woman who is around forty years old and works in the state archives in Prague, where she assists Austerlitz.

Marie de Verneuil, a scholarly woman from a well-to-do family who, like Austerlitz, is conducting research in the records department of the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. She has a brief, romantic connection with Austerlitz, sparked by their interest in architecture. She enjoys peppermint tea and seeks peaceful moments in life.