Paul Auster is a highly acclaimed American author and poet, best known for his crime fiction novels. His works often blend elements of existentialism, absurdism, and the search for personal meaning and identity. Auster was born on February 3, 1947, in Newark, New Jersey, and grew up in a Jewish family of Polish descent. His parents, Samuel and Queenie Auster, provided a middle-class upbringing for him and his younger cousin, Lawrence Auster, who is a conservative columnist.
After graduating from Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey, Auster attended Columbia University, where he received his degree in 1970. He then moved to Paris, where he began his literary career by translating French literature. Upon his return to the United States, Auster started writing essays, novels, and poems, which included both original works and translations of French writers such as Joseph Joubert and Stephane Mallarme. His debut work, a memoir titled The Invention of Solitude, received significant acclaim, followed by the release of his New York Trilogy, which consists of three interconnected detective fiction stories.
Paul Auster is a celebrated author with numerous accolades to his name. His work has been translated into over 40 languages, showcasing his global appeal. Among his notable awards are the Prince of Asturias Prize for Literature, the Prix Médicis Étranger, the Independent Spirit Award, and the Premio Napoli. In addition, Auster is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. He currently resides in Brooklyn, New York. Auster's impressive body of work includes Report from the Interior, Winter Journal, Sunset Park, Invisible, The Book of Illusions, and The New York Trilogy, among many others. His contributions to literature have solidified his place as a leading voice in American literature.