Facts about Paul Auster

1. 12

   Paul Auster's 1992 novel Leviathan, his longest work at over 400 pages, drew heavily from his personal experiences and relationships while exploring American identity and political disillusionment.

   Paul AusterJun 26shareliteratureamericannovels
2. 11

   Born in Newark, New Jersey in 1947, Paul Auster grew up in suburban New Jersey before relocating to New York City, the setting that would define much of his fiction.

   Paul AusterJun 8shareliteraturebiographyamerican
3. 10

   Auster's 1989 novella Moon Palace won the Prix Médicis, France's prestigious literary award, cementing his recognition as a major international author.

   Paul AusterMay 22shareliteratureawards1980s
4. 09

   Over 300 pages of Paul Auster's unpublished manuscripts and correspondence were acquired by the Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection at the New York Public Library in 2011.

   Paul AusterMay 21shareliteraturearchivescontemporary
5. 08

   Four years before his literary breakthrough, Paul Auster worked as a translator, tutor, and part-time construction worker to support himself while writing in relative obscurity during the late 1970s.

   Paul AusterMay 21sharebiographycareer1970s
6. 07

   The New York Trilogy's three novellas were originally published separately between 1985 and 1986 before Paul Auster combined them into a single volume that became an international bestseller.

   Paul AusterMay 21shareliteraturepublicationnovels
7. 06

   Auster's 2006 novel Travels in the Scriptorium explores themes of memory and identity through a 70-year-old man awakening in a mysterious room with no recollection of his past.

   Paul AusterMay 21shareliteraturecontemporaryfiction
8. 05

   Married to writer Siri Hustvedt since 1981, Paul Auster has collaborated with his spouse on various creative projects throughout their decades-long partnership.

   Paul AusterMay 21shareliteraturerelationshipscontemporary
9. 04

   Auster's 1988 novel The New York Trilogy sold over 2 million copies worldwide and established him as a major figure in contemporary literature.

   Paul AusterMay 21shareliteraturesalesbestseller
10. 03

    During the 1990s, Paul Auster wrote and directed three feature films, including Smoke in 1995, which starred Harvey Keitel and William Hurt.

    Paul AusterMay 21sharefilmcinema1990s
11. 02

    Brooklyn author Paul Auster published his experimental novel City of Glass in 1985, which launched the postmodern detective fiction genre and became his breakthrough work.

    Paul AusterMay 21shareliterature1980sfiction
12. 01

    In 1982, Paul Auster won the National Book Award for his translations of French poet Jacques Dupin's work.

    Paul AusterMay 21shareliteraturetranslationawards