Paul Auster was an American novelist, poet, editor, screenwriter, and film director whose works have been translated into more than twenty languages. Widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in contemporary American literature, he gained international recognition with his novel sequence The New York Trilogy, which created a major literary impact in Europe. In addition to his literary achievements, Auster was also a respected filmmaker.

Paul Auster was born on February 3, 1947, as the son of Queenie Auster and Samuel Auster. At the time of her pregnancy, his mother realized she had entered a mistaken marriage, yet she did not divorce. Auster spent his childhood in the suburbs of South Orange and Maplewood. When he was three and a half years old, his sister was born; she later suffered from psychological illness. Years later, in his autobiographical work Hand to Mouth, Auster described this period of his life with the phrase “exile in one’s own home.”

In 1959, his father purchased a house in one of the city’s most prestigious neighborhoods, and the family relocated there. It was during these years that Auster’s growing fascination with literature became apparent. His uncle, Allen Mandelbaum, a talented translator, had left behind hundreds of books he had translated while traveling in Europe. Through these books, Auster was introduced to world literature at a young age. He began writing poetry in his early teens, and his close relationship with his uncle played a significant role in shaping his literary development.

After completing his secondary education in Maplewood, Auster traveled extensively across Europe. His admiration for James Joyce led him to Dublin, Ireland. Upon returning to the United States, he enrolled at Columbia University. In 1967, the university sent him to France to continue his studies in Paris. Dissatisfied with the rigid academic structure, he temporarily abandoned his studies and lived in a small hotel on Rue Clément. At the request of his dean in the United States, he later returned to Columbia University and completed his education.

In 1970, shortly after graduating, Auster moved to France, where he earned his living by translating major works of French literature into English. He returned to the United States in 1974. On October 6 of the same year, he married fellow writer Lydia Davis. During this period, the couple worked on literary translations, while Auster also began writing criticism for major publications such as The New York Review of Books, Commentary, and Harper’s. Alongside his own novels, poetry, and essays, he translated works by prominent French writers including Jean-Paul Sartre, Stéphane Mallarmé, and Joseph Joubert for American publication.

In 1977, his son Daniel Auster was born. At a time marked by financial hardship and a failing marriage, Auster’s father died on January 14, 1979. Following his divorce, he found himself alone but financially supported by his father’s inheritance, which allowed him to devote himself fully to writing. Reflecting on this period in interviews with McCaffery and Gregory, he stated, “For the first time in my life, I can write without worrying about rent and survival.”

After divorcing Lydia Davis, Auster married Norwegian-born writer Siri Hustvedt in 1981. Their daughter, Sophie Auster, was later born. In 1986, Auster began working as an associate professor at Princeton University, a position he held until 1990. He also published an important anthology on twentieth-century French poetry. In 1982, he released his first major book, the autobiographical novel The Invention of Solitude, centered on the life of his father.

His novel The Music of Chance, published in 1990, earned a nomination for the PEN/Faulkner Award and attracted significant attention from the film industry. In 1995, Auster wrote the screenplay for Smoke, starring Harvey Keitel. He also made his directorial debut with this film, co-directing it alongside Wayne Wang. Following this success, Auster continued working as a screenwriter and director on several films.

In 2006, Auster was awarded the Prince of Asturias Award, an honor previously bestowed upon figures such as Günter Grass, Arthur Miller, and Mario Vargas Llosa. His political stance was notably anti-war, exemplified by the lyrics he wrote for the song King George Blues, composed by the band One Ring Zero, in which he openly criticized George Bush and U.S. war policies.

In addition to his literary and cinematic work, Auster served as vice president of the PEN American Center. Paul Auster died on April 30, 2024, in New York, at the age of seventy-seven, due to lung cancer.

Books:
The New York Trilogy (1987)
City of Glass (1985)
Ghosts (1986)
The Locked Room (1986)
In the Country of Last Things (1987)
Moon Palace (1989)
The Music of Chance (1990)
Leviathan (1992)
Auggie Wren’s Christmas Story (1992)
Mr. Vertigo (1994)
Timbuktu (1999)
The Book of Illusions (2002)
Oracle Night (2004)
The Brooklyn Follies (2005)
Travels in the Scriptorium (2006)

Poetry:
Disappearances: Selected Poems (1988)
Ground Work (1990)
Selected Poems (1998)
Collected Poems (2004)

Screenplays and Films:
Smoke (1995)
Blue in the Face (1995)
Lulu on the Bridge (1998)
The Center of the World (2001)
The Inner Life of Martin Frost (2006)
In the Country of Last Things (2007)

Essays and Autobiographical Works:
The Art of Hunger (1982)
The Invention of Solitude (1982)
The Red Notebook (1995)
Why Write (1996)
Hand to Mouth (1997)

Source: Biyografiler.com