The writer of "The New York Trilogy" and "Leviathan" has died from complications of lung cancer. His books have been translated into more than 40 languages and is a revered writer in France, which he considered his "second home".
ADVERTISEMENTPaul Auster, the prolific American author whose works include “The New York Trilogy” has died aged 77 after complications from lung cancer.
Auster died at his home in Brooklyn, New York, according to the New York Times, citing a friend of the novelist.
Auster ‘s diagnosis with cancer was first announced last year by his wife and fellow author Siri Hustvedt.
Born in neighboring New Jersey, Auster became a literary icon in New York during the 1980s with works like “The New York Trilogy,” which put a philosophical twist on the detective genre.
His other major works include “Moon Palace” (1989), “The Book of Illusions” (2002) and “The Brooklyn Follies” (2005).
He was also a screenwriter and wrote screenplays for several films, including Lulu on the Bridge (1998) and The Inner Life of Martin Frost (2007). However, it was the screenplay for the 1995 film Smoke, which portrayed the lost souls who frequent a Brooklyn tobacco shop, which garnered the most praise. The film won the Silver Bear at the 45th Berlin Film Festival, as well as the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay.
Auster ‘s postmodern and often existentialist novels, whose themes often revolve around loss in all its permutations, have been translated into more than 40 languages. They are hugely popular in Europe.
He won the Médicis foreign prize for "Leviathan" in 1993, and is a revered writer in France, which he considered his "second home".
His final book was "Baumgartner", published last year - a tender meditation on memory and loss, which followed the life of a soon-to-be retired philosophy professor grieving the loss of his wife.
Paul Auster - 1947-2024
