Paul Auster, the prolific novelist and screenwriter who broke through in the 1980s with his dark, postmodern novels, has died of lung cancer. He was 77.
With critically acclaimed works such as The New York Trilogy acquired the “charismatic author and patron saint” of his beloved borough of Brooklyn, such as The New York Times (NYT) describes him, worldwide fame.
Literary superstar
Auster was often described in news reports as a “literary superstar,” thanks to his “piercing gaze, soulful charisma and movie-star good looks,” the NYT said in an obituary. As his reputation grew, Auster came to be seen as a guardian of Brooklyn’s rich literary past—and as an inspiration for a new generation of novelists who flocked to that New York borough beginning in the 1990s.
Several of Auster’s novels have also been published in Dutch translations. Except of course The New York Trilogy (1985-1986) these included Invisible (2010), Moon Palace (2015) and Baumgartner (2023).
Film with Harvey Keitel and William Hurt
Including the film Smoke from 1995, with Harvey Keitel and William Hurt, Auster also reached the Dutch audience as a screenwriter.
Auster gave another interview to the in November Volkskrant, in which he talked about his work and his illness, among other things. He said doctors were “fairly hopeful” about his treatment. “I hope they are right, because I still have a lot to live for and I don’t intend to give up yet.”
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