The significance of the past in Zebald's writing

Zebald's writing is deeply influenced by his exploration of the past and its impact on the present. He grapples with the idea of the past's capaciousness, acknowledging that it is far more extensive and influential than the future. Zebald's personal desire to alter the past, such as erasing his own happy childhood during the war, exemplifies his struggle with its weight. He sees the past as haunted by repetition, constantly returning and influencing the present. Zebald's writings also draw parallels between the Holocaust and the ongoing ecocide of the planet, highlighting his view of the Holocaust as a specialized form of the destruction humanity inflicts on nature.