4 ms·
His books were half of what I read between age 12-25 (edit: more like 12-20, and I meant only novels, but it doesn't matter here) Sad to see him go. Picking u
by moritzwarhier 2y ago
His books were half of what I read between age 12-25 (edit: more like 12-20, and I meant only novels, but it doesn't matter here)
Sad to see him go.
Picking up his books again as an adult only took away the magic in some of his weaker works.
Mostly, the magic remained.
The guys learning to play Bach and building a wall, the delirant anon in NYC chasing paper trails, the adolescent boy learning to levitate... the evil man offering glasses in a post-apocalyptic city:
so many memories remain, I don't know much about Paul Auster but I can say he was an influence on my life. Because of randomness (a relative picking Mr Vertigo as a present for me, probably because of book-store recommendations)
Paul Auster's characters always appear as somewhat mythical, living through a personal transformation.
Many of his characters have an aura of NYC artist/cultural authority stick around then, but it does not bother me at all.
Like many of my favorite authors, he injects much of his own personality into the main characters, even with multiple books using a novelist/writer as the main character.
- karaokeyoga 2y agoCan you recommend a first book?
- alberto_ol 2y agoMy favourite is "the invention of solitude", but it is not a novel. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Invention_of_Solitude https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Invention_of_Solitude
- efrank02 2y agoThe New York trilogy was wonderful
- moritzwarhier 2y ago"Music of chance" I'd say, it's a good ride, easy to read, also showcases a lot of his qualities and has a place in my mind forever. Edit: "Moon palace" is similar in a way. I think those two left the biggest impression in me. They both are probably not the critique's favorites, but perfect as an intro I think. "Mr Vertigo" was my intro and I think it was a good one as well. "In the Country of Last Things" is also great, but a bit short for the story arc iirc. I read the New York trilogy relatively late but these are arguably his most well-received books and I enjoyed them a lot as well. The other books I mentioned he wrote later, if I'm not misremembering.
- ulrikrasmussen 2y agoI haven't read all of his books, but my personal favorite was "Invisible". I really loved the style and that the book is told from the perspective of three different narrators with sometimes wildly different interpretations of the same events.