Paul Auster Quotes

A collection of quotes by Paul Auster.

Paul Auster is an acclaimed American author, poet, and translator. Born on February 3, 1947, in Newark, New Jersey, he gained recognition for his distinctive style of writing that incorporates elements of detective fiction, existentialism, and postmodernism. Auster attended Columbia University, where he studied English and Comparative Literature.

In the early stages of his career, Auster worked various odd jobs while diligently writing his own novels. His breakthrough came in 1985 with the publication of "The New York Trilogy," a collection of three interrelated mystery novels that delved into themes of identity and reality. This work brought him widespread critical acclaim and established him as a major voice in contemporary American literature.

Over the years, Auster has authored numerous novels, including "Moon Palace," "The Book of Illusions," and "4 3 2 1," which have garnered both commercial success and literary accolades. His writing often explores the complexities of human consciousness and the notion of chance and fate. Auster’s richly layered narratives, filled with intricate plot twists and philosophical musings, have captivated readers around the world.

Beyond his fiction, Auster has published essays, memoirs, and works of poetry. He has also translated the works of French writers, including Stéphane Mallarmé and Joseph Joubert, into English. Auster's profound contributions to modern literature have earned him numerous awards, including the Prix Médicis Étranger and the Prince of Asturias Award for Literature.

Paul Auster continues to write passionately, demonstrating his literary prowess and fascination with the mysteries of existence through his multifaceted works.

The world is so unpredictable. Things happen suddenly, unexp

The world is so unpredictable. Things happen suddenly, unexpectedly. We want to feel we are in control of our own existence. In some ways we are, in some ways we're not. We are ruled by the forces of chance and coincidence.

Paul Auster


All children are love children, he said, but only the best o

All children are love children, he said, but only the best ones are ever called that.

Paul Auster

Love Children Moon Auster Palace

The truth of the story lies in the details.

The truth of the story lies in the details.

Paul Auster

Truth Story Tension Details

but even the facts do not always tell the truth

but even the facts do not always tell the truth

Paul Auster

Truth

The moon people do not eat by swallowing food but by smellin

The moon people do not eat by swallowing food but by smelling it. Their money is poetry - actual poems, written out on pieces of paper whose value is determined by the worth of the poem itself.

Paul Auster

Food Money Poetry Inspirational Fantasy Planet Moon Palace Peom Smelling

All I wanted to do was write - at the time, poems, and prose

All I wanted to do was write - at the time, poems, and prose, too. I guess my ambition was simply to make money however I could to keep myself going in some modest way, and I didn't need much, I was unmarried at the time, no children.

Paul Auster

Money

I guess I wanted to leave America for awhile. It wasn't that

I guess I wanted to leave America for awhile. It wasn't that I wanted to become an expatriate, or just never come back, I needed some breathing room. I'd already been translating French poetry, I'd been to Paris once before and liked it very much, and so I just went.

Paul Auster

Poetry

I was always interested in French poetry sort of as a sideli

I was always interested in French poetry sort of as a sideline to my own work, I was translating contemporary French poets. That kind of spilled out into translation as a way to earn money, pay for food and put bread on the table.

Paul Auster

Poetry

There's hope for everyone. That's what makes the world go ro

There's hope for everyone. That's what makes the world go round.

Paul Auster

Hope

Everything can change at any moment, suddenly and forever.

Everything can change at any moment, suddenly and forever.

Paul Auster

Change

We construct a narrative for ourselves, and that's the threa

We construct a narrative for ourselves, and that's the thread that we follow from one day to the next. People who disintegrate as personalities are the ones who lose that thread.

Paul Auster

Storytelling