Legendary Jewish Novelist Paul Auster died yesterday at the age of 77 following a lengthy battle with lung cancer.
Auster grew up in New Jersey and studied English and comparative literature at Columbia University. After graduating, he spent four years in France, working as a translator and writing poetry. He gained recognition for his distinctive postmodern writing style, which often blends elements of detective fiction, existentialism, and metafiction.
His breakthrough work, “The New York Trilogy,” explores themes of identity, language, and the nature of reality while subverting traditional detective novel tropes. Other notable novels, such as “Moon Palace,” “The Music of Chance,” and “Leviathan,” showcased his ability to weave intricate narratives that examine the human condition and the blurring of boundaries between fiction and reality.
Not confined to novels, Auster had published poetry collections, essays, screenplays, and memoirs. The iconic author’s literary accomplishments have earned him numerous accolades, and his works have been translated into over 40 languages.
According to NPR, Aster’s tragic death comes just two years after his son and granddaughter died of overdoses.
