If you read the famous “New York Trilogy,” the author, Paul Auster, recently passed away at 77. Auster was born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1947. He was a well-celebrated screenwriter, novelist, essayist, poet, and translator. Notably, all his works were translated and published in over 40 languages.
Paul Auster started his literary journey translating French writers shortly after relocating to France after graduating from Columbia University in 1970. At that time, he began his career and birthed “The New York Trilogy” in 1987.
In addition to his famous publication, he also authored bestselling novels like “4 3 2 1,” “The Book of Illusions,” “Sunset Park,” and “Moon Palace.” Regarding his death, media outlets revealed that his friend, Jacki Lyden, confirmed it. How sad!
Paul Auster’s Battle With Cancer
Last year, in an Instagram post, Auster’s wife and writer, Siri Hustvedt, revealed that he was battling with cancer. According to her, he was diagnosed in December 2022 and was undergoing treatment. She further noted that they were living in a “Cancerland.” Plus, the situation made her understand what grace under pressure feels and looks like.
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You’d notice that Auster’s fiction often showed themes of self-reflection and the interplay of chance and fate. Moreover, it showed his life experiences, too. Online critics have yet to connect the dots between his fiction and autobiography.
Paul Auster’s Encounter with Life’s Capriciousness
According to Paul Auster, the “mechanics of reality” is understanding coincidence and chance. That reality was influenced by an event that occurred during his teenage years. Before publishing his autobiographical work “Winter Journal” in 2012, Auster went for an interview. There, he described how life’s unpredictable events shape our existence.
He emphasized the temporary nature of existence, saying that much of life is subject to change or chance, even beyond birth and death. Some years back, when Auster was 14, he had a life-changing experience during a hike with his friends. About 20 boys went on this hike trip, but they became 19 when a sudden thunderstorm resulted in a terrible event.
One of his friends died during the thunderstorm. Witnessing his friend’s quick and unexpected death from a lightning strike absolutely changed his life. Even before his death, he battled with forgetting the incident. But how does one forget such, though?
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In the same interview, Auster noted that the encounter became a big lesson in his philosophy about life. Life is indeed short, and it is amusing how things can quickly change. One minute, you are happy, and then, the next, you don’t even know what’s going on. Phew, from one eye blink to another, the world is entirely different, and some forces shape our lives.
Lifelong Impact of the Thunderstorm Experience on Paul Auster
For Auster, the impact of the tragic incident remained everlasting. And truthfully, it’s a traumatic incident that can’t quickly leave anyone. Auster further related the sad event to war experiences, emphasizing its long-lasting influence on his philosophy and view of the world.
While Auster never lived through war pestilences, seeing his friend die was his war experience. He likened the feeling to what soldiers go through all the time. Of course, he was young, and it made a huge impression on him, so if you want to talk about his philosophy, that’s the highlight of the whole thing.
Auster was a Brooklyn resident who received many awards during his lifetime, including the Prince of Asturias Prize for Literature in 2006. He was also a member of esteemed institutions like the American Academy of Arts and Letters and a Commander of France’s Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
After the news of his death, his literary circles offered their condolences online. The Booker Prizes acknowledged his impact on readers and writers nationwide. The account on X (formerly Twitter) mentioned that the news shocked them. They noted how Paul Auster’s work touched readers and influenced writers globally.
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