Paul Auster, a celebrated writer who generated diverse work such as novels, memoirs and scripts, gained prominence in the 1980s through his innovative revival of noir fiction. Recognised as one of the defining New York authors of his era, Auster succumbed to lung cancer complications at his Brooklyn home, aged 77. His passing was confirmed by his friend, Jacki Lyden.
Known for his enigmatic aura, marked with mysterious eyes and good looks, Auster was frequently referred to as a ‘literary sensation’ in news reports. The Times Literary Supplement of the United Kingdom once labelled him as “one of America’s remarkably innovative authors”.
While he was born in New Jersey, Auster developed a substantial connection with his chosen city, particularly its distinctive rhythm; especially Brooklyn, which became home in 1980. The area beautifully manifested in his works, showing the soul of the city he loved — with the oak-shaded, brownstone lined streets of Park Slope neighbourhood often appearing as an implicit character.
A respected literary figure in Brooklyn, Auster’s reputation transcended as an upholder of Brooklyn’s abundant literary heritage, as well as a guiding spirit to a fresh generation of novelists who were drawn to the borough in the 90s and beyond.
Recalling her own experiences, author and poet Meghan O’Rourke, wrote an email saying, “Auster had established himself as the quintessential Brooklyn novelist during the 80s and 90s. During my early years there, only a handful of acclaimed writers resided in the borough. His works had a prominent place in every bookshelf. My peers and I were ardent readers of Auster’s works due to its unique blend of peculiarity which was a hint of European surrealism and its intimate touch”.
Adding to this she said, “Long before ‘Brooklyn’ became a metaphorical home for every novelist, he made writing life seem achievable, real, something a person would do.”
Auster’s recognition wasn’t merely local. He earned numerous literary accolades just in France. Auster, who spent his youth in Paris, like Woody Allen and Mickey Rourke, became an exceptional American figure idolised by the French as their own.
According to a 2007 report by New York magazine, Paul Auster’s readings are readily identifiable by the flurry of French being spoken; while Auster may just be a prolific writer in America, he has achieved the status of a revered icon in Paris. In the UK, his efforts have led to his novel ‘4321’ which uncovers four alternative narratives of the initial life of its main character, a Jewish boy born in 1947 in Newark – much like Auster himself – getting a nomination for the esteemed Man Booker Prize in 2017.
Auster’s journey to becoming a recognised author began in 1982 with the publication of his memoir, ‘The Invention of Solitude’, a poignant musing on his strained relationship with his recently deceased father. It wasn’t until 1985 that his first novel ‘City of Glass’ found a publisher, after 17 rejections, finally being released by a small Californian press.
Following its release, ‘City of Glass’ served as the first leg of his most acclaimed trilogy, ‘The New York Trilogy’ which was later compiled into one volume. T, the fashion-minded release of The New York Times, included it in a list of the top 25 noteworthy novels depicting New York City over the past century.
‘City of Glass’ offers insight into the journey of a mystery novelist dealing with personal anguish who assumes the persona of a private investigator called Paul Auster due to a mistaken phone call. This results in the writer delving into a real-life investigation whilst losing his sanity.
While ‘City of Glass’ shared similarities with a conventional detective story, Auster expressed his resentment towards being confined to a specific genre. He drew parallels to ‘Crime and Punishment’ identifying it as a detective novel in certain respects, as mentioned in his 2017 self-reflective book ‘A Life in Words’.
The fragmented narrative, highly subjective point-of-view, and examination of identity found in Auster’s body of work could warrant it fitting for detailed study in academic literary theory modules. The work is ‘beautiful, true, and good’ in its own literary fashion.
Will Blythe, an author and former literary editor of Esquire, noted in an email that Auster’s masterful approach to postmodernist literature throughout his career carried a simplicity that seemed to derive from mystery novels. Blythe suggested that Auster perceived life itself as a narrative, a playground for self-evolution mirroring the process of character development undertaken by a writer.
In his work ‘A Life in Words’, Auster expressed his understanding that many writers take comfort in conventional literary archetypes, creating works of beauty, truth, and morality. However, Auster expressed a distinct path of his own: his burning desire to craft narratives that he thought were beautiful, truthful, and moral, all the while exploring innovative storytelling techniques. Auster’s desire to flip convention on its head invoked the controversial theories championed by French philosopher Jacques Derrida, particularly his deconstruction theory. That being said, Auster often aligned himself with literary classics over highbrow philosophy, admitting in a 2009 interview with The Independent his preference for Emily Brontë over Jean Baudrillard, another French philosopher.
Despite this, Auster’s writing process was decidedly old-fashioned, routinely eschewing technology for his beloved notebooks and fountain pen. Auster confessed to The Paris Review in 2003 that keyboards scared him, and he felt that writing with a pen felt like the words were originating from his very core and engraved onto the page. It was a tactile and physical process for Auster. He would then convert his handwritten manuscripts for typing on his cherished vintage Olympia typewriter, which featured in his 2002 book The Story of My Typewriter, brimming with illustrations by Sam Messer.
Regardless of his seemingly archaic methods, Auster’s productivity was relentless. Consistently writing six hours a day, even on weekends, he managed to produce a new book almost every year for several years. In total, he published an impressive 34 books, including 18 novels, acclaimed memoirs, autobiographical works, as well as plays, screenplays, and collections of short stories, essays, and poems. These numerous works also consisted of miniatures that were later compiled into larger books.
By the 1990s, Auster started exploring the world of Hollywood, not only penning multiple screenplays but also often serving as the director.
Born on February 3rd, 1947, in Newark, Paul Benjamin Auster was the elder of two offspring of Samuel and Queenie (Bogat) Auster, who owned properties in Jersey City. Auster had a particularly lonely childhood in South Orange, New Jersey, and later in Maplewood. He noted in his book, ‘The Invention of Solitude’, that his feeling of remoteness from his father wasn’t because of dislike, but more a sense of distraction and neglect.
In 1968, while studying at Columbia University, Auster took part in the student rebellion and also met his first wife, Lydia Davis, who was a student at Barnard College. He subsequently completed a bachelor’s degree in comparative literature in 1969, and a master’s shortly after. A period working on an oil tanker preceded a move to Paris, where he earned a modest income translating French literature and began submitting his work to literary magazines.
His first book, ‘A Little Anthology of Surrealist Poems’, a collection of translations, was published in 1972. Two years later, after marrying Davis, Auster returned to New York City. Prior to becoming a successful writer in the 1980s, he tried several ventures, including inventing and marketing a baseball card game.
Interestingly, Auster’s 1995 film ‘Smoke’, directed by Wayne Wang, was derived from a Christmas tale the author had released in the Times. Both the film and his personal story are deeply rooted in his experiences in Park Slope, where he lived in a brick townhouse with his wife, novelist Siri Hustvedt. ‘Smoke’ portrays Harvey Keitel as Auggie, a tobacco shop owner in Park Slope that attracts a diverse range of colourful locals. A notable character is Paul Benjamin (Auster’s initial pseudonym; with Benjamin being his middle name), a thoughtful, smoking author played by William Hurt, who is rescued from an oncoming lorry by a young man (Harold Perrineau). Despite Auster’s own work often dealing with themes of suffering and loss, his journey still encountered even more profound pain.
In the springtime of 2022, Daniel Auster, who was 44, passed away due to a drug overdose, 11 days after he was accused in the death of his 10-month-old daughter, Ruby. Upon swearing a legal statement, Daniel Auster admitted to having taken heroin then falling asleep alongside his daughter. On waking, he found her lifeless. The cause of death was ascertained to be severe heroin and fentanyl intoxication.
Paul Auster, Daniel’s father, chose to maintain silence on the tragic event.
Aside from his wife, Paul Auster leaves behind his daughter Sophie Auster, his sister Janet Auster, and a grandchild.
Paul Auster persevered to be a fruitful author, issuing a number of books in the past few years, including ‘Burning Boy: The Life and Work of Stephen Crane’ in 2021 and ‘Bloodbath Nation’, a provocative contemplation on gun violence in the United States in 2023. His last novel was ‘Baumgartner’, published the previous year.
Fiona Maazel, an author herself, pointed out in her review in The New York Times Book Review that ‘Baumgartner’ is filled with the author’s characteristic elements, echoing his previous creations: The genuine, studious male lead, the narrative unpredictability. However, this novel also mirrors the personal battles of an elderly author faced with the inevitability of ageing and bereavement.
As Maazel articulated, Baumgartner centres on the inner conflicts of the protagonist. Our leading character, a philosophy professor addressed as Sy by his friends, has struggled to come to terms with his wife’s sudden death nearly a decade ago, swinging between clinging to the past and pushing it away.
Despite a protracted and fruitful career, Paul Auster occasionally expressed frustration that a significant part of his work was judged against ‘The New York Trilogy’, his first major work, a trend common amongst journalists according to him. In his words, as mentioned in ‘A Life in Words’, “Take Lou Reed. He can’t stand Walk on the Wild Side. This song is so famous, it followed him around all his life.”
“I don’t consider terms like ‘the best’ or ‘the worst’ when it comes to creating art,” he said, “We’re not participating in the Olympics.” This was originally published by The New York Times.
2024 The New York Times Company.