Paul Auster

[G4G]

Hi again CDA (from new member intro!! )
I am in Scotland and I know and love Paul Auster! (Of course, I am not currently in a book shop but can often be found there!) I have only read a few till now: The New York Trilogy was my first, leading to The Book of Illusions and then Timbuktu. As you say, few people here in UK seem to read him and this may account for the fact that he is rarely to be found in libraries and/or second hand bookshops! Maybe we should start a campaign to make him more popular???? People don't know what they are missing!

LOL! I fear that a campaign would involve hitting people around the head with Auster's books until they relent! The dullards!!
Glad you're a fan - I don't actually know that many people who are. Oh, where I live, secondhand book shops are full of piffle. There's one good one, but the rest....yawn...
I hope that we can have more discussions about Auster - please read more of his stuff!

 

[lindaj07]

I've requested Oracle Night from the library...
There are actually SIX copies in our local libraries, I wonder who is reading them?? I will get back to you when I've read it if you don't mind. Maybe we can swap a few?
And ....
You know what they say CDA...
Books are weapons!! lol

LOL! I fear that a campaign would involve hitting people around the head with Auster's books until they relent! The dullards!!
Glad you're a fan - I don't actually know that many people who are. Oh, where I live, secondhand book shops are full of piffle. There's one good one, but the rest....yawn...
I hope that we can have more discussions about Auster - please read more of his stuff!

 

[G4G]

I've requested Oracle Night from the library...
There are actually SIX copies in our local libraries, I wonder who is reading them?? I will get back to you when I've read it if you don't mind. Maybe we can swap a few?
And ....
You know what they say CDA...
Books are weapons!! lol

So - read any more Auster yet? Swap a few what??
I missed this post btw - though i'd subbed, but i never did. oops.

 

[Stewart]

I've requested Oracle Night from the library...
There are actually SIX copies in our local libraries, I wonder who is reading them.

I've got one; I'm reading it just now.

 

[G4G]

I've got one; I'm reading it just now.

Is this your first Auster?

 

[Stewart]

Yes, it is.

 

[G4G]

What made you choose Oracle Night?

 

[Stewart]

It was the only one in the library.

 

[G4G]

So what do you make of it so far?

 

[Stewart]

It's been very pacy and the details are nicely observed. I will certainly read more of his work and, if I like that, champion him.

I'm forty-seven pages from the end.

 

[G4G]

And what do you think of it now that you've finished it? If you have finished it, of course.

 

[Stewart]

Yeah, I finished it on Tuesday evening. I'm sorry that I've not written a review of it, or of a few more I've read of late, but I just can't seem to motivate myself in that direction; in part due a recent spate of writing fiction due to my creative writing class.

I enjoyed the book. Auster's narrative is relatively simple and the pace of the novels is such that it swept me along rather willingly. I especially liked his ear for dialogue, believing it to be some of the best I've read this year. I admit that I forgot most of what happened in the Oracle Night book in Bowen's tale but felt that that book wasn't all that important other than to foreshadow the implications of Bowen's tale upon Orr's life.

I've seen people say that they wonder why Auster can start a novel with a bang, sometimes literally, but can't finish particularly well, something evidenced by the sudden abandoning of Bowen's tale. But, with all the talk of how words can make the future, I wonder if Bowen's fate is a representation of what will, after the final page, happen to Orr; that something hits him hard in his life (i.e. Jacob's attack and losing the child or Trause's death) and he decides to depart for a brand new life elsewhere.

I liked the use of the opening to Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities within the book that also helped reinforce duality of Orr; of being two different people in different emotional (or stressed) states.

After I finish my glut of finding new authors to read I will return to Auster; most definitely.

 

[G4G]

No, I can't write reviews and fiction at the same time either. Never been able to work out why.

Auster's stuff does seem to deal with identity and reality, and the way creative types, writers, I suppose, mess around with it in their work.

Spoiler

Trause = Auster

Glad you'll be trying more of his stuff.

 

[ions]

I finished Oracle Night this past Tuesday evening. I enjoyed it quite a bit. There's not much a can say that wouldn't mirror what Stewart has already said above. I wouldn't be able to say it nearly as nicely either. The book was fun, unpredictable, and made me think. Simply a good book.

 

[kirsty]

I've only read The Book of Illusions by Auster, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Unlike the comments that people have made in this thread about his other novels, I felt that it took a while for this book to get started. The sections that dealt with in-depth move-by-move accounts of the Hector Mann films were very dull, and an odd way to start a novel. Thankfully, I continued to read the rest of the book, and wasn't dissapointed.

Auster seems to have a fascination with writing. The Book of Illusions illustrates this in a big way, so much so that by the end of the book, the read discovers that the actual book is suposedly standing in place of a dead author.

 

[steffee]

I am sitting here with my copy of the book. There is 180 stories in it. I shall type the first one for you here as its so great in its own way:

"The chicken"
As I was walking down Stanton Street early one sunday morning, I saw a chicken a few yards ahead of me. I was walking faster than the chicken, so I gradually caught up. By the time we approached Eigteenth Avenue, I was close behind. The chicken turned south on Eighteenth. At the fourth house along, it turned in at the walk, hopped up the front steps, and rapped sharply on the metal storm door with its beak. After a moment, the door opened and the chicken went in.
Linda Elegant, Portland, Oregon


I havent read "The story of my typewriter".

Flower

How old is this thread?

Anyway, thanks Flower, you just reminded me (although I only read it last night, must be the memory thing) about the Humpty Dumpty thing in New York Trilogy.

 

[curiouswonder]

I finished Oracle Night a couple of days ago and I would echo what Stewart wrote about it. I like the way Auster pays attention to detail, but at the same time keeps things moving. I never felt like anything was left out that I wanted to know, but I also didn't feel bogged down in superfluous detail.

Like others have said, I'll be checking out more of Auster down the road. Thanks for the recommendation CDA.

 

[Flowerdk4]

I think what I like so much about Auster besides from his obvious writing talents, is that he makes me feel that he is sitting right next to me and telling me a story.
Every time I open up one of his books, I get the same feeling and its feels so good to be back in Auster land.

 

[Flowerdk4]

Anyone read Auster´s latest novel??

Dunno the english title, in Danish its called "Rejser i scriptoriet", so maybe the english title would be something like "journeys in ....". (Have checked Amazon but cannot find the book there). Its 168 pages.

 

[kirsty]

I think what I like so much about Auster besides from his obvious writing talents, is that he makes me feel that he is sitting right next to me and telling me a story.
QUOTE]

I felt like this too. I'm not sure if it had the same effect in his other novels, but in The Book of Illusions, it added so much deapth to it. As the reader, I began to question a lot of what he was 'telling me'. And even more so, as a large part of the novel was effectively a story being told third hand, I questioned much of Hector Mann's self-assesment. This technique created the possibility of yet more illusions.