The writer and academic W.G. Sebald (1944–2001) is considered one of the most important literary voices of the late 20th century. Less widely known is the pessimistic philosophy of history that underwrites his books: what might Sebald have said about Covid-19?

Of the metaphors circulating in the media to describe the Covid-19 pandemic, the one I find most helpful deploys the image that the whole world is experiencing the same storm, but groups of us are in very different kinds of boats trying to weather it.