Collected Prose

The celebrated author of The New York Trilogy, The Book of Illusions and Invisible presents here a highly personal collection of essays, prefaces and occasional pieces written for magazines and newspapers. Ranging in subject from Walter Raleigh to Kafka; Hawthorne to the high-wire artist Philippe Petit; conceptual artist Sophie Calle to Auster's own Olympia typewriter; the 9/11 attack on the Twin Towers to his beloved New York City itself, Auster displays all his customary flair, wit and insight. Including several of his major works - important books in their own right, such as Hand to Mouth and The Invention of Solitude - this collection demonstrates and reaffirms the pre-eminent position Paul Auster holds in contemporary literature and criticism.

Paul Auster was the bestselling author of 4 3 2 1, Sunset Park, The Book of Illusions, Moon Palace and The New York Trilogy. He and Spencer Ostrander collaborated on Bloodbath Nation. In 2006, he was awarded the Prince of Asturias Prize for Literature. His other honours include the Prix Medicis Étranger for Leviathan, the Independent Spirit Award for the Screenplay of Smoke, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Burning Boy, and the Carlos Fuentes Prize for his body of work. His novel 4 3 2 1 was shortlisted for the 2017 Man Booker Prize. He was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and was a Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. His work was translated into more than forty languages. His final novel, Baumgartner, was published in November 2023. He died on 30 April 2024.