Paul Auster, author of New York Trilogy, RIP

[ejp626]

Sad news...  https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/may/01/paul-auster-dies-aged-77-death-american-author-new-york-trilogy

I saw him at a reading in Ann Arbor.  I'm pretty sure he was reading from The Music of Chance.  I was able to get him to sign my copy of The New York Trilogy.  I've read a fair bit of his work, though I haven't tackled 4 3 2 1, since my impression is I would probably have to reread several key novels before I did so.  One of these days...

[mjazzg]

A shame, 77 isn't very old these days although he did well to get there having lung cancer.

I really enjoyed his early works and reconnected with 4321 which I thought was a really good read.  

[Niko]

back as a kid in the 90s, he was one of my favorite authors... RIP

Edited May 1 by Niko

[soulpope]

R.I.P    ....

[GA Russell]

RIP.

[Dmitry]

There is a jazz connection...he wrote and directed (a pretty crappy, as I remember it) jazz-themed film, Lulu on the Bridge, with Harvey Keitel, Willem Dafoe and Mira Sorvino, plus a bunch of cameos by the Likes of Lou Reed. Blue Note released the soundtrack.

My first interaction with his work was from his script for a truly brilliant film, The Music of Chance.

I also read one of his books, about a really fat man and his son, the title escapes me now.

Looks like he lived an interesting life.

[Dmitry]

Just read The Music of Chance. The film was better than the novel it was based on. Usually this isn't the case, in my experience.

 

Edited May 8 by Dmitry

[adh1907]

The other jazz connection is that the screenplay for the film ‘Smoke’ was written by Paul Auster and the main character Auggie was based on Augie who ran a jazz club on the upper West Side. Which subsequently became the Smoke jazz club (after Augie had to close down for tax issues I think). I used to visit regularly in the 90s and it was certainly an interesting place when Augie ran it (with his mother stationed at the bar).