A Tribute to Paul Auster

If you are fans of Auster's fiction, too - why do you like his books? Which one is your favorite? And what did you think of 4 3 2 1?

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[JohnnyCashavetes]

The New York Trilogy was my awakening. While I view it now as a clear entry into postmodern fiction, I didn't know what postmodernism was when I read it, so it seemed like this beautiful anomaly that didn't exist within conventional genres. What you describe as the strangeness/ordinary balance within his work is what blew things wide open for me because I had previously viewed novels as having to make a choice between the two. The audacity to blend the two would being interesting in itself, but the mastery in which he did it is where he really shined. Preposterous metaphysical things made complete sense surrounded by the normalcy or even mundane found in his pure observational realism.

The opening section of Book of Illusions where the suicidal protagonist laughs for the first time in 6 months watching a silent film is my favorite bit of writing in his entire oeuvre. The rest of the novel, unfortunately, doesn't remain at that level, but that bit alone is enough for me. Ever since then I've become fascinated with works of art, whatever the form, keeping people going. It's a beautiful topic that still feels underexplored to me.

I've also been fascinated with his greater reputation in Europe. He always credited his simple prose as translating easier and truer than his contemporaries. Which really makes translation as a whole sort of melt my brain. As an English speaker (and reader), have I ever REALLY read Umberto Eco? I will never know the answer to this. And I think I bring this up every time you've discussed Auster on this channel over the years lol (I certainly did when you re-read The New York Trilogy).

Auster was just a great writer. Will miss him being in the world. And don't even want to think about DeLillo leaving us too, but I am now!

[AlexP]

Thanks for making this video. I was also really saddened to hear of Paul Auster's death, and it's comforting to see someone else sharing his love for him, and being able to keep him alive in that way at least. You actually encapsulated an intuitive feeling I've had ever since I first read Auster but never knew how to put into words: that he's not really an all-the-way postmodernist, but has an important grounding in realism as well. I love him for this reason, as his ability to write interesting, believable characters and, for all the strangeness in his books, evoke 'real life' situations makes his books easier to get into and love for me. It follows from here that my favorite novel of his is probably Moon Palace, which is one of the best bildungsromans I've ever read. I'd definitely recommend it, as I would 4321. Although the latter was somewhat slow and hard to follow at times, I find that Auster just has a knack for writing about childhood and youth that I haven't really found in another author's work.

[thatsmeemstaht]

Thank you for this :)

My favorite Auster novel ist „The invention of solitude“. I am unsure of how i would feel if i reread it. But when i read it after the New York Trilogy it changed me. The second part being more of a collection of associations and thoughts really spoke to me. I think my thoughts flow in a very similar way.

Also it opened me to what art can be and do for me, which left me with a deeper appreciation for reading!

[lo]

His first book I read was Moon Palace and I was hooked for life. I haven't loved everything I read from him, but those I love are in my all-time fave books list. I haven't read 4321 yet either. I am a french expatriate in the US and I can confirm that I haven't met a single American yet who's ever heard of him 😂 It's crazy. I did make a few friends read him, and overall they thought he was weird. Oh well... at least the EU understands him 😂

[Paromita_M]

RIP 🙏🏽🌷
I liked 4321 and The New York Trilogy.
Sad to lose him.

[jwalk]

Auster is one of the all-time greatest American authors. My favorites are The Red Notebook, 4 3 2 1, Man in the Dark, City of Glass, Book of Illusions, and Winter Journal. Much respect for your video 🙏

4 3 2 1 is a great novel. The sentences are long and propulsive, and the characters are lovely. His narrative voice is in top form in this novel. I prefer it to New York Trilogy.

[AndalusianIrish]

Currently reading 'Sunset Park'. Had tried to read 'Leviathan' and 'The New Trilogy' but didn't get very far. I always enjoyed listening to him talking, especially his Willie Mays story and so far 'Sunset Park' has been a very pleasing book.

I thought there were too many hat tips in 'Leviathan' but his meditations on and allusions to baseball, music, coincidences, film and life after war to be quite artful and touching. I feel his passion for baseball and movies and I love anyone who is passionate about something good about life.

[ishtarb]

I have the opening paragraph of City of Glass memorized by heart. And I believe it applies to interpretations of almost all his fiction. Especially the last line of the paragraph: "The question is the story itself and whether or not it means something is not for the story to tell."

[מיריפרוימוביץ-שע]

I started reading Oster first time few month ago. I came across "The invention of solitude" and fell in love from the first page, didnt know its his first book. Then a week ago, I found Baumgartner in a book store, didn't know it was his last book. Grate book grate author!

[didierleclair]

Brooklyn follies and Man in the dark. These are my favorites. Why? Because he's at his best when he doesn't go all the way into strange story. In my opinion, the 2 books I mention have a great mix of strangeness, philosophical content and realism.

[danny.webber]

It’s difficult to articulate what I like about Auster’s fiction—or his writing in general. I find his prose to have a musical quality, the “rhythm” and “melodic motifs” of which echo in my head/ear long after putting the books down. My favorites are probably “NY Trilogy, ” “In the Country of Last Things, ” “Timbuktu, ” and “Brooklyn Follies.”

[dandeluca]

I was shocked to hear you mention my favorite book by Paul Auster, In the Country of Last Things. That was also the book that turned me on to Auster, and nobody here (NYC) seems to have heard of it. It's like Auster's version of The Road, except written at the beginning of his career rather than the end. And like you said, the strong, realistic characters make the fantastic elements of the story so much more relatable. I have a copy of 4-3-2-1 but I too have not gotten to it, it's been on my kindle for years but I'm always wary of starting thousand-page books. Maybe it's time!

[stuartmoore]

4321 is the only one I have read. Greatly enjoyed it and need to get to his others, especially the New York Trilogy.

[joshc]

I haven't read any Paul Auster yet. I have him on my list, since he seems like the sort of writer that I would interest me.

[danielg.w]

The only book of his i read was city of glass by way of the comic. I found his prose lovely and rhe way he explored language as a concept to extremely fascinating. Personally i wish he had worked as a vomic writer on the side like Jerome Charyn. I think that different mode if expression would have allowed to crwate some interesting work

[enriqueaguilar]

I haven’t read 4 3 2 1 yet. My favorite book is Oracle night.

[Manfred-njvz]

I'm currently reading 4 3 2 1, I'm still relative in the beginning (page 200 from total 1217 pages according to the Greek edition). I have to say that it is an easy and interesting read and that it is my first Auster book. But there is a thing about - how to call it? - "modern" literature?, "nowadays" literature?, that the writers don't use any dialogues; the whole book is just narration; every page in this long novel seems even longer, because every page is fully crowded with text. Sometimes I have the feeling that the text (and the reader as well) has no time to breath. Why does modern literature use no dialogue at all? Does that mean that some writers are not able to use the dialogue form? Is there an answer to that? I'm sorry if I insist, but have you ever read anything by Nikos Kazantzakis? In order to see what is a powerful but also vivacious/lively narration I heartily recommend his novel «La seconda crocifissione di Cristo». Have you ever thought to make a video about him?

[nikchemnyk]

I've only read New York trilogy (in a great translation of Yaroslava Strikha), which I obviously thought was quite accomplished and was a breeze to read. But I ultimately landed on a rather narrow interpretation of the book as being about a writer's process (the first novella is about finding a unique way to express yourself through language, the second one about creating characters, and the third about interplay between your artistic and your everyday selves, was my read IIRC), and that narrowness (disproportionally, I suppose, of my own making), as well as a feeling that the book lacked a certain joie de vivre to compensate for it, made my response to the book a little muted.
Bought English-language edition of 4 3 2 1 a long time ago in some airport, and was excited by the reports of that book being uncharacteristically (or maybe not uncharacteristically, but surprisingly for me, who only knows Auster by New York trilogy) straight, non-mindfuck-y novel, but haven't got to it yet. God knows, there's so much shit fantasy to read in the meantime.

[reinholddawon]

Auster is one of my favourite writers, because, like you said, he combines and roots his kind of arealism (I think surrealism doesn't apply to his novels, pararealism describes Murakami but not Auster ) with psychological realism - but also because I like his refined and cultivated style of writing. My favourite novel is Sunset Park, one of his best for me the kafkaesque Music of Chance. The Winter Journal became very important for my own personal writing. 4-3-2-1 I didn't read, I'd rather reread the New York Trilogy.

[constancecampbell]

I have only read the first section of 4321, but I remember enjoying it quite a lot. The young boy was extremely likable. When I started the second section, I did not immediately warm to it, though I can’t remember why. I will try again someday.