Collected Prose

Auster's mind-bending fiction is shaped by his fascination with coincidence and chance, and with how the most banal appearances conceal untold bizarreness. Any reader curious about how such a sensibility coalesces will find Auster's nonfiction full of clues. Following his Collected Poems [BKL F 1 04], this gathering of autobiographical writings, essays, and critical works illuminates key moments in Auster's life and traces the evolution of his imagination. The volume begins with "The Invention of Solitude," a staggering portrait of his father; next up is "Hand to Mouth," an arresting account of his wildly improvised efforts at survival while attempting to make it as a writer; followed by the resounding "Why Write?" and the surprising "True Stories." As a critic, Auster fully enters the works of the writers he discusses, including Kafka, Knut Hamsun, Laura Riding, Samuel Beckett, and Paul Celan, and pulls off feats of masterful concision in his prefaces and op-ed pieces. All told, this is a delectable and invaluable addition to the Auster collection, a unique facet of American letters.