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For all the latest news on Paul Auster please return. This will develop and become a place to visit to find out all the latest info on the writer, his books, his films, his appearances etc.

Last updated on Tuesday 28th October 2008.

Do you have any news related to Paul Auster? If so please do send an e-mail to [email protected].

Alejandro Chomski's film adaptation of 'The Country of Last Things' is due for release in 2008. It is being filmed in Argentina and will star Eva Green. It is currently in production.

A young woman (Green) searches for her long-lost brother in a bleak, futuristic dystopia where no industry takes place and most of the population collects garbage or scavenges for objects to resell.

Paul Auster is a confirmed guest at Portugal's Estoril Film Festival held between 14th and 22nd November 2008.

According to the Guardian on Friday 24th October 2008 Paul Auster has added his name to a 200,000-strong petition in support of Roberto Saviano, and compared the threats of the Neapolitan mafia against the author to the tactics used by "extremist religious groups".

On the same day there was an article in the book blog section of the Guardian which talked about the naming process of Auster's characters.

On Wednesday 22nd October 2008 Paul Auster was interviewed by Zeynab Badawi for the BBC programme Hard Talk. For a limited time you can watch the programme on BBC iPlayer here.

Paul Auster and his daughter, Sophie, who is an actress, offered a dramatic reading from Paul's new novel, "A Man in the Dark." at 192 Books (192 Tenth Ave., between 21st and 22nd Sts) on Wednesday 22nd October 2008 at 7am

On Friday 17th October 2008 an article in PR USA stated Robert "De Niro was visiting the museum last week to research a sequel to two earlier films, "Analyze This" and "Analyze That," for which it is rumored he has hired author Paul Auster as a consultant. With a third movie, De Niro would then have a trilogy. According to Auster, a third film might easily include comedian Jon Stewart in a cameo role as a "gay basher.""

FS e-mailed to say "Paul Auster was interviewed at length (over 20 minutes) on 'RAI 3' channel, one of Italian public TV channels, last Sunday 12th October 2008. The interview is available" here.

On Saturday 11th October 2008 at 3.30pm Paul Auster will be in conversation at the Curzon Cinema Soho, (London). There will then be a showing of 'The Inner Life of Martin Frost'. Stuart Harrington supplied this information as well as this link for booking a ticket.

Niall Munro e-mailed to say "Auster is actually making a rare visit to the UK to promote 'Man in the Dark', and he's going to be speaking at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on Thursday 9th October 2008 at 7.30pm as part of the 'America Decides' series of talks. Right now tickets can only be booked by members of the South Bank Centre, but others can book from 21 August."

Aitor Alonso writes on the message board "Paul Auster is to visit Barcelona next Monday 6th October 2008. Will meet Sergio Vila-Sanjuan at the Salo de Cent of the Town Hall of Barcelona. Unfortunately, I know nothing about where to get invitations." Found out more on Alonso's blog dedicated to the author.

Serap Guvenc-Bisping wrote on the Facebook group for Paul Auster "he is coming to hamburg as well:) Tuesday 30th September 2008 .it will be intresting to see him with his latest book in his own hands:)"

And Ozgen Gungor from the same gorup wrote "If any fans from Berlin, Germany are here: There will be a screening of his latest movie. "The Inner Life of Martin Frost" will be shown in Babylon, on the Sunday 28th September 2008." You can find out more details here.

On Wednesday 24th September 2008 Paul Auster will be at the New York Public Library (Celeste Bartos Forum Fifth Avenue & 42nd Street New York, NY), at 7pm with Celine Curiol

On Friday 19th September 2008 Paul Auster will be at Powell's City of Books (1005 West Burnside Portland, OR 97209), at 7.30pm where he will read from 'Man In The Dark' - there will also be a signing

On Thursday 18th September 2008 Paul Auster will be at the Washington Center For The Book (w/ Seattle Public Library and Elliott Bay Book Co. 1000 Fourth Ave, Seattle, WA 98104), at 7pm where he will read from 'Man In The Dark' - there will also be a signing

On Wednesday 17th September 2008 Paul Auster will be interviewed by Michael Tolkin at Writers Bloc (Temple Emanuel 8844 Burton Way Beverly Hills, 90211), at 7.30pm where he will read from 'Man In The Dark' - there will also be a signing

According to SFGate Paul Auster will be interviewed by Michelle Richmond on Tuesday 16th September 2008. Each event of the City Arts & Lectures will take place at 8pm at the Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Ave. (415) 392-4400.

On Monday 15th September 2008 Paul Auster will be at the Commonwealth Club of CA (Main Theatre, Cubberley Center 4000 Middlefield Road Palo Alto, CA 94303), at 7pm where he will read from 'Man In The Dark' - there will also be a signing

According to The List "Across the Atlantic, the third instalment of the vibrant, hip Brooklyn Book Festival (www.brooklynbookfestival.org, Sunday 14th September 2008) has already confirmed appearances from Gloria Naylor and Paul Auster."

On Wednesday 10th September 2008 Paul Auster will be at the Barnes & Noble Union Square (Union Square North 33 East 17th Street New York, NY 10003), at 7pm where he will read from 'Man In The Dark' - there will also be a signing

On Monday 8th September 2008 Paul Auster will be at the Brattle Theatre, (w Harvard Bookstore), (40 Brattle Street, Harvard Square Cambridge, MA 02138), at 6pm where he will read from 'Man In The Dark' - there will also be a signing

On Thursday 21st August 2008 Paul Auster will be at the Politics & Prose, (5015 Connecticut Avenue NW Washington, DC 20008), at 7pm where he will read from 'Man In The Dark' - there will also be a signing

And on the same day there was an interview between Express Night Out and Paul Auster entitled 'Wake Up, America: Paul Auster'.

Francois Guillot e-mailed to say "I was at the Auster book signing last night in Washington DC, at the Politics and Prose bookstore, and I thought you might enjoy some of the pictures I took. He read for about half and hour, and he seemed to be relaxed and in a good mood. At the beginning, he joked that he was surprised that so many people came to see him, because it was still summer and he thought everybody would be at the beach. He read from different parts of the book, mostly parts where his characters discuss movies."

On Wednesday 20th August 2008 Edward Champion e-mailed informed me of an interview with Paul Auster on the Bat Segundo Show.

Paul Auster's next novel, 'Man in the Dark', is due to be published by Henry Holt in the US on Monday 1st September 2008. Robert Heinrich e-mailed since to say "according to Henry Holt the novel is due to be released on Tuesday 19th August 2008, not september 1st."

Philip Stone e-mailed to say "The date I've been given for the UK release is 21st August - the same day as the US edition.

Synopsis has recently gone online at Nielsen BookData as: "Seventy-two-year-old August Brill is recovering from a car accident. Plagued by insomnia, he tries to push back thoughts of things he would prefer to forget - his wife's recent death and the horrific murder of his granddaughter's boyfriend, Titus - by telling himself stories. He imagines a parallel world in which America is not at war with Iraq but with itself. In this other America, the twin towers did not fall, and the 2000 election results led to secession, as state after state pulled away from the union, and a bloody civil war ensued. Brill gradually opens up to his granddaughter, recounting the story of his marriage and confronting the grim reality of Titus' death. "Man in the Dark" is a novel of our time, a book that forces us to confront the blackness of night whilst also celebrating the existence of ordinary joys in a brutal world."

Not sure how reliable the following is...Better call it "provisional"...£14.99 and 160 pages (so about 40 more than "Travels..."!)"

The Guardian writes "Paul Auster's latest is replete with his trademark tricksiness, but is no less germane. In Man in the Dark, a widower fantasises an escape from the pain of his loss by imagining an America where 9/11 never happened. But the civil war he conjures up in its place teaches him to treasure the tender hope his equally bereaved granddaughter represents."

According to Drowned in Sound the album The Week That Was by The Week That Was has a release date of Monday 18th August 2008. "A high-concept album inspired in part by the intricate storytelling of novelist Paul Auster, The Week That Was unfurls the strands of a crime thriller whilst commenting upon the complexities of our relationship with the media."

On Thursday 14th August 2008 Niall Munro e-mailed to say "there's a podcast here from a programme on Australia's ABC radio, 'The Conversation Hour' with Richard Fidler which features Siri Hustvedt first and then Paul Auster.

I also recently noticed that if you head into the iTunes store and enter 'Paul Auster', you can find a free download of an interview between Auster and Professor Michael Wood from Princeton who taught Auster at Columbia. It's about 50 minutes, and recorded at the New York Public Library, but I've no idea how long ago it was recorded. It must be pretty ancient, since it seems like it was recorded just after 'Hand To Mouth' came out in the U.S., (1996/7?) so perhaps you have it listed already? Nevertheless, it makes for very good listening.

You can also get (for £1.95!) a 50-odd minute interview on a 2004 programme called 'Fresh Air', and which deals with 'Oracle Night'.

I also just received an e-mail from Amazon telling me they had dispatched my copy of 'Man in the Dark', so I guess it's going to arrive before the due release date of 21st August. Exciting news."

Photographer Victoria Gaitan e-mailed in to say "Paul Auster will be signing his new book, 'Man in the Dark' at Politics and Prose, Washington DC, at 7pm, on Thursday 21st August 2008."

On Sunday 10th August 2008 author Stephen Elliott reviewed 'Man In The Dark' for SFGate. In this book, Auster has taken a turn similar to the turn Philip Roth took in "American Pastoral""

Robert Heinrich e-mailed on Saturday 2nd August 2008 and said "according to my bookstore, "Man in the Dark", which I pre-ordered mid-July, is ready to be picked up. Just got the email this morning. Its has the EAN 9780805088397 and costs 16,90 Euro in Germany."

Here are some reviews as they come in:

The Canadian Press here
SFGate here
Washington City Paper here
PopMatters here
Monsters & Critics here
STLtoday here
Ohio here
Oregon Life here
Scotland on Sunday here
Orlando Sentinel here
The Times here

Hardbolied Bookclub Sam Weller's and Slug Magazine will discuss New York Trilogy by Paul Auster on Thursday 24th July 2008 at 7 pm at Sam Weller's Bookstore, 254 S. Main St. The bookclub meets the last Tuesday of each month. For information, call 801-328-2586.

There was a review of 'Man In The Dark' in the Economist on Thursday 24th July 2008

On Tuesday 22nd July 2008 Mike Figgis said in an interview in The Guardian "I'm planning to work with Paul Auster on a film project. He's a brilliant writer."

According to The Daily Telegraph on Monday 23rd June 2008 Auster and his wife were at the Shakespeare & Literary Festival in Paris.

On Saturday 14th June 2008 Paul Cornelissen e-mailed to say "this week, "Man in het duister" (Man in the Dark) is published in The Netherlands. Interviews with Paul Auster appeared in the two main Dutch newspapers: NRC Handelsblad and de Volkskrant. here (NRC Handelsblad) here (Volkskrant) I think this is already the second time Auster gives his Dutch publisher (Arbeiderspers) the world premiere of his new novel. Perhaps because of the enthousiasm of his Dutch readers? I added a picture of the Dutch cover and a portrait of Auster, this week in Amsterdam."

Robert Huyser e-mailed to say ""Man in the dark" has been published last week in The Netherlands. I guess this is the first country where it is actually out in the shops. The translation is really excellent. Reviews were positive. Quality newspaper NRC published a large interview with him. At Tuesday 10th June 2008 Paul Auster read 40 minutes from his new novel in front of an audience in Amsterdam at an invitation of The John Adams Institute."

On Sunday 8th June 2008 Pavel Sladky e-mailed to say "Czech Radio 4 - Radio Wave interviewed Paul Auster and Siri Hustvedt. Please see podcast (czech and english language) here"

On Saturday 7th June 2008 Geert Douma wrote to say "Today...I saw the dutch translation of 'Man in the Dark' on the shelf in my local bookstore." On the same day Gotze Kalsbeek wrote in "This week Paul Auster in Amsterdam: The John Adams Institute."

On Friday 6th June 2008 Catherine Echapt e-mailed "I found this today. Paul Auster will be in Librairie Shakespeare et Cie in Paris in June."

According to an article in The Argus musician Peter Wilson has asked 11 other artists, including Neil Hannon and Ed Harcourt, to write songs for him based on the silent movies of Hector Mann, a character from a book by Paul Auster.

Linda Petersen wrote "Paul Auster and Siri Hustvedt will be attending the Copenhagen Literature Festival on Friday 6th June 2008"

According to the Prague Monitor Paul Auster will be joining Margaret Attwood and Petr Kral at the 18th annual Festival of Writers in Prague with the motto "Laugh and Oblivion"between Sunday 1st June 2008 and Sunday 5th June 2008.

AFP wrote "Michael McLure, Paul Auster, Ivan Klima, Margaret Atwood, Natalia Gorbanevskaya and Homero Aridjis recounted their experience this week at the 18th Prague Writers' Festival which bore the theme "1968: Laughter and Forgetting"."

The Prague Post wrote "Auster got off the best quip about 1968, reading a passage from one of his novels in which the character says of the events of that year, "There would be no point in going over it again" - then adding dryly, "which is what weÕre doing tonight."

On Tuesday 27th May 2008 there was an article in OpEdNews entitled ' Columbia Student Rebellion 1968 - 40 Years Later'. "Auster constructed the little essay around the idea that 1968 was "the year of craziness, the year of fire, blood and death . . . and I was as crazy as everyone else.""

On Wednesday 7th May 2008 Tony Blog wrote "Housing Works, the city organization that helps people living with HIV and AIDS, opened its Crosby Street bookstore ten years ago. Since then, the store, managed in part by a board of writers, has become not just a great place to buy books but also the site of some of the cityÕs best and most inventively curated readings. Tonight the store celebrates its birthday with a party and a sale: Fifty signed books by the likes of George Saunders, Mary Gaitskill, Jonathan Safran Foer, Paul Auster and others will be up for silent auction. Where else can you grab a glass of wine and work on enhancing your book collection at the same time? Doors open at 7pm."

On Saturday 3rd May 2008 Nancy Holmstrom wrote a piece entitled 'Socialist-Feminism, Then and Now '. "I'm going to start with a NY Times Op Ed piece by Paul Auster, the novelist, from the day I was putting together this talk."

On Wednesday 30th April 2008 Paul Broches letter to the editor of The New York Times was published. "Paul Auster ("The Accidental Rebel," Op-Ed, April 23) concludes that "not much of anything" was accomplished at Columbia in 1968. Too bad that he so diminished a life-changing experience for a generation of students reaching well beyond Morningside Heights."

On Monday 28th April 2008 a article entitled 'Class of 1968 Returns to Campus' appeared in the Columbia Spectator. "Columbia students don't often get to see the likes of Paul Auster, Sharon Olds, Ntozake Shanke, and others share a stage together."

On Thursday 24th April 2008 Brian McGuirk e-mailed to say "Just wanted to let you know that Paul Auster had an autobiographical op-ed piece in the New York Times yesterday.Ê I hope I'm not the 20th person to tell you."

On Wednesday 23rd April 2008 the piece entitled 'The accidental rebel' by Paul Auster was published in the International Herald Tribune. "What did we accomplish? Not much of anything. It's true that the gymnasium project was scrapped, but the real issue was Vietnam, and the war dragged on for seven more horrible years."

Niall Munro and Marcus Wyche both provided full transcripts of the Accidental Rebel here.

According to the New York Times on Saturday 12th April 2008 at the Brooklyn Public Library, Grand Army Plaza, Flatbush Avenue and Eastern Parkway, Paul Auster was interviewed by the radio talk-show host Leonard Lopate.

On Saturday 5th April 2008 George Dunford e-mailed to say "I recently wrote an article about Paul Auster for the Big Issue Australia. As the Big Issue doesn't have a web presence, I've re-published it on my own blog."

On Tuesday 25th March 2008 Lone Christensen wrote "I see that you have not yet written about Paul Auster«s new book, only published in Denmark at the moment." The book is the 'Man In The Dark'.

And Carsten Lose e-mailed to say ""Man in the Dark" was published in Denmark Friday 14th March 2008 ("Mand i m¿rket"). It is highly recommendable although not one of his greatest novels. As with many of Austers great novels it is kind of dark but in this one there is also hope and optimism."

Siri Hustvedt will be a guest at Adelaide Writers' Week. She will be in conversation, along with Paul Auster, at Readings Hawthorn, 701 Glenferrie Road on Thursday 6th March 2008 at 6.30pm.

On Tuesday 4th March 2008 Paul Auster will be joining Peter Carey, Siri Hustvedt and Ian McEwan at the Adelaide Town Hall at 8pm as part of the Adelaide Bank Fesitival of Arts.

"I have no wisdom to give and no advice," Auster quietly proclaimed - but it wasn't true. "There is only one thing that is truly subversive: clarity." "When I go off track, I say Swift and Lean to myself." "Books are the one place in the world where two strangers (writer and reader) can meet on terms of absolute intimacy." He recalled giving a weekend marathon reading of Oracle Night in an art gallery. There was a blizzard outside and the roof leaked snow. "It was one of the most intimate experiences I have had with readers."

Wednesday 27th February 2007 is an official Paul Auster Day in Brooklyn, (set up two years ago by the president of the borough of Brooklyn, Marty Markowitz).

On Wednesday 27th February 2007 The Mosman Daily wrote "In creating artwork for an exhibition, a group of young artists was asked only to consider a quote from a novel. The quote was from Paul Auster's novel Leviathan and reads: "The smallest word is surrounded by acres of silence for me, and even after I manage to get that word down on the page, it seems to sit there like a mirage, a speck of doubt glimmering in the sand."

Karen Conaghan, (Communications Coordinator at Drexel University), e-mailed to say "I wanted to let you know about an upcoming Paul Auster event: The Westphal College of Media Arts & Design at Drexel University And The Philadelphia Film Society present: 'The Inner Life Of Martin Frost' Screening and Q&A; with Paul Auster on Wednesday 20th February 2008 at 7pm. It will be held at the Ritz 5 Theater (214 Walnut Street, Philadelphia PA). It's free and open to the Public (RSVP Required): You can telephone on 215-895-0352 or e-mail [email protected] (Seating is limited!). This event is part of the Sibby Merkel Brasler Lecture Series."

The Triangle" wrote "Just keep writing," Auster said when asked for advice for today's young writers. "Keep writing and understand that the world owes you nothing."

On Saturday 9th February 2008 Pasquale Marzano, (author of 'Il male che coglie Napoli e altre note di onomastica letteraria') e-mailed to say:

"Find a link the article I was referring to in the object of my e-mail. Auster complains about the literary critics working for the newspapers. He refers in special way to 'The New York Times' and to Michiko Kakutani. He says that she enjoys herself attacking all the most famous writers and he adds that those literary critics should give up their job after five years... He talks about other topics as well, as the Italian writers he usually reads. His relationship with the work of Pirandello (not quoted in the interview I am attracting your attention to) should be the subject of the essay I am planning to write. Pirandello is the topic of my second book and I wouldn't mind exploring the possible connection between those two authors."

On Saturday 9th February 2008 there was an article about Siri Hustvedt in The Age entitled 'The Norse Code'. It read:

"The key to surviving this is to realise there are two people: the public, famous writer; and the private person. The Paul Auster she knows is private. She describes their first meeting in her essay on the wounded self: "I notice a beautiful man in front of the door. He has a slender face, enormous eyes, and a small, delicate mouth. In seconds, I have taken in the whole of him and feel woozy with attraction." She was smitten, but then she had to work hard to charm and delight the beautiful man.

In those days, both writers were unknown. Hustvedt lived with Auster as his novel City of Glass went through 17 rejections.

"I loved Paul's work so much from the very beginning, and the fact that it's come to be recognised feels like a confirmation of my good literary opinions."

The two writers lead what sounds a tranquil and industrious life, with Hustvedt working upstairs and Auster working downstairs. They have always read and critiqued each others' work, and have always followed each others' advice, even when it was tough.

Hustvedt remembers that she started to write a fifth part to her first novel, "probably because I thought five was better than four", but it was hard going. When she gave it to Auster to read, he told her: "Throw it out, your book is done." "I felt so liberated, I can't tell you."

On Friday 8th February 2008 Feist was interviewed by the Vancouver Sun:

"And as for the location of this particular page of history, the fact that she'll come back to the city where it all began for her, musically, in order to be feted as a bonafide superstar is something that's not lost on her.

"That's just a strange and interesting," she pauses, "as [novelist] Paul Auster would say, 'The Music of Chance.' "It's like a snake eating it's own tail.""

And in an interview in The Belfast Times it reads "The Canuck singer-songwriter and I have a lengthy talk before she jumps on the Eurostar for Paris, and we begin by discussing her rise and rise. "If I was Paul Auster I'd probably write a book about it," she says, conflating her ascendancy with the themes of chance that permeate Auster's novels. "Sometimes I can't believe my luck.""

As highlighted in this month's .net magazine Paul Auster was 61 on Sunday 3rd February 2008.

On Friday 1st February 2008 Brad Lockwood wrote a piece for the Brooklyn Daily Eagle entitled 'Classic Brooklyn Writer Recipe'. In it he wrote "Paul Auster sells an estimated six copies in Europe for every one he sells in America."

On Saturday 25th January 2008 there is the US premier of Immy Humes' film 'Doc' at the Film Forum, New York, and there will be a Q&A with Paul Auster, (who is in the film), and Immy Humes, (daughter of Doc), at 8pm. You can watch a clip of the film here.

"You have to seize your opportunities in life to get to know people who are remarkable," offers the novelist Paul Auster, one of Doc Humes's early 70s Columbia students. "Even if they finally pulverize you."

Immy says on Facebook "I think i've spotted traces of Doc in 5 of Auster's books. Auster will be appearing with me this Sat.1/26 after the 8PM show in NYC - please help spread the word to those who care in NYC!"

So I would double check with the Film Forum which night he's there. Either way go see the film.

On Monday 21st January 2008 Howard Stokar e-mailed to say "a recording of Charles Wuorinen's setting of Auster's poem 'Visible' has recently been issued on Albany records." Please click here for more details.

On Saturday 19th January 2008 Michèle Demoëte e-mailed to say "Here is a captivating lecture given in French by paul Auster when he visited Paris, Centre Georges Pompidou, last autumn 2007. I study the book, The Brooklyn Follies with my high school students and they were all astounded by the lecture and really enjoyed it."

According to the Miami Herald Paul Auster was at The Inner Life of Martin Frost' event at 7:30 p.m. on Friday 18th January 2008 at the Bill Cosford Cinema, University of Miami, 1111 Memorial Drive, Coral Gables. For Books & Books.

On Wednesay 16th January 2008 Paul Auster appeared live with San Francisco International Film Festival Director Graham Leggat after a screening of his latest film, 'The Inner Life of Martin Frost'. It was at 7 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco and cost $10-15.

"Literary Brooklyn", a panel discussion with authors Paul Auster, Nicole Krauss and Bill Moody, moderated by Bill Goldstein, will take place on Saturday 12th January 2008 at noon at The TimesCenter (The New York Times Building, 41st Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues in Manhattan). Tickets are $25. For more information, you can visit here.

From the Brooklyn Daily Eagle "Auster spoke about his experience walking into a local deli and slipping on his words in ordering a cinnamon-raisin bagel to instead ask for a "cinnamon-Reagan" bagel. "And without missing a beat, the guy behind the counter said, 'Sorry, we don't have any of those, but I can give you a pumper-Nixon if you want,"" said Auster to much laughter."

Paul Auster will attend the New York Times 2008 Arts & Leisure Week which will take place between Monday 7th January 2008 and Sunday 13th January 2008. The Times' annual signature event is now a seven-day international celebration of the arts that includes a wide range of activities, from interviews between journalists and their guests at TheTimesCenter in New York City, to special offers at cultural institutions around the world. Auster will be there between 12.00 and 1.15pm on Wednesday 9th January 2008.

On Monday 7th January 2008 Publishers Weekly announced the release of 'Off the Page: Writers Talk About Beginnings, Endings, and Everything In Between', edited by Carole Burns. As host of 'Off the Page,' a literary chat program on Washingtonpost.com, Burns interviewed more than 40 authors - from Pulitzer Prize winners Edward P. Jones and Richard Ford to newcomers Doreen Baingana and Hannah Tinti - and here she collects those Q&A; moments. Paul Auster is one of the 43 authors interviewed.

According to News Blaze Saviana Stanescu is collaborating with novelist Paul Auster on a dramatization of his critically acclaimed novel, "Timbuktu," tentatively scheduled for performance in 2008.

Alejandro Chomski's film 'In The Country of Last Things' starring Eva Green will begin filming shortly in Argentina.

On Saturday 24th November 2007 the Statesman ran an article about Antonio Mondo's book 'Do you believe?: Conversations on God and Religion'. Mondo interviewed Auster amongst others including Jane Fonda, Elie Wiesel, Paul Auster, Michael Cunningham and Richard Ford. He asked questions including - Do you believe in God? What will happen to you at death? Do you pray? Do you think religious believers are deluded?

On Tuesday 13th November 2007 Matthew de Ville at Faber and Faber e-mailed to say "here's a new Paul Auster novel coming in 2008, called 'Man in the Dark'. Faber will publish this in August, to coincide with the US publication. At the moment we know that Paul is planning a visit to the UK in October, but there's a chance he might come over a little earlier."

And Linda Peterson e-mailed to say "At the Copenhagen Book Fair this weekend Paul Auster's Danish Publisher (http://www.per-kofod.com/) announced, that Paul Auster has finished his new novel which - like his last 3-4 novels - will be published first in a Danish translation around March 2008 (the title is not yet known). Traditionally, the American version is published the following autumn."

Paul Auster will chair the jury at the San Sebastian International Film Festival between Thursday 20th September 2007 and Saturday 29th September 2007. Accompanying Paul Auster on the jury will be Swedish actress Pernilla August, Italian actress-producer Nicoletta Braschi, Iranian director Bahman Ghobadi, Spanish actor Eduardo Noriega, Argentine actress Susu Pecoraro and British director Peter Webber.

According to the Book Standard Marty Markowitz, Brooklyn Borough President, made several announcements recently about the second annual Brooklyn Book Festival. One such announcement was that legendary Brooklyn author Paul Auster would be honored at the Festival Gala on Saturday 15th September 2007. You can also read an article entitled 'He's Mr. Write: Sloper Auster honored by Beep' in the Brooklyn Paper.

On Monday 10th September 2007 Indiewire wrote "The Paul Auster drama "The Inner Life of Martin Frost," released by New Yorker Films, opened at New York's IFC Center with $3,522, failing to make the iWBOT Top Ten." On the same day there was an interview in the New York Press entitled 'Paul Auster on Martin Frost'. And another interview entitled 'Taking to Paul Auster' in AM New York.

Will Sherlin wrote to say "Just wanted to let you know that THE INNER LIFE OF MARTIN FROST will be showing at the IFC Center in New York starting either September 7th or 14th. It will be released in France, Spain, and Portugal in October (no firm dates have been set yet) and they are working on getting everything set up to show it in a few other countries."

On Monday 10th September 2007 Gothamist wrote "Tonight Paul Auster reads from his book Inner Life of Martin Frost. The novel is based on the imaginary film from his other novel The Book of Illusions. If that's not confusing enough...the book based on the film in the other book is also on the big screen for real, with Auster as director and writer and a cast that includes his daughter Sophie and Michael Imperioli." It was at 7pm at Barnes & Noble [33 E 17th St] and was free.

On Monday 3rd September 2007 Niall Munro e-mailed to say "Hi there, I stumbled upon a podcast at the PEN America site: .

If you subscribe to the PEN podcast, you can find Auster discussing filmmaking with Guillermo Arriaga, in an episode dated 18/05/07. Topics in the podcast include: accidental directorhood; filmmaking 101; relating to a literary tradition; the moment when you have nothing left to say; the heavy soul vs. the light soul; "the worst thing you can do with pain is to not use it"; inevitable endings; and cheating death.

Also at a recent ALA conference, one professor was proposing a Paul Auster Society, which might be of interest to some users of your site. It may be too academic for the casual reader, however. The details are these: Proposed Paul Auster Society Call for Papers American Literature Association May 24-27, 2007 Boston, MA"

On Wednesday 22nd August 2007 Brendan Martin e-mailed to say "I'm writing to let you know that my PhD dissertation on Auster and entitled Paul Auster's Postmodernity is due to be published by Routledge in New York and London on August 23, 2007. The book is a full length study of Auster and his writings and covers the majority of works published before January 2005."

On Saturday 2nd June 2007 Powderfinger are releasing an album entitled 'Dream Days at the Hotel Existence'. "The album title comes from a book, The Brooklyn Follies, by Paul Auster, which I was reading during the recording," frontman Bernard Fanning said.

On Wednesday 9th May 2007 Alexander Poe said in an article in the Middlebury Campus "this summer (as part of the Potomac Theatre Project run by the Middlebury Theater Department) we're re-mounting our adaptation of Paul Auster's novel, "City of Glass," which was our first production back at Midd in 2000, at the Atlantic Theater in New York in July." Alexander e-mailed to say "I noticed your news item on my stage production of City of Glass (excerpted from a middlebury campus newspaper interview), more information about the play is at www.reduxproductions.com - it's under our current page and photos from the middlebury college production and further info is under the productions page. the play performs on july 5, 6, and 7 at the atlantic theatre. I've attached a copy of the poster."

On Friday 4th May 2007 Simon Hoegsberg wrote "I'm writing you to let you know of a photo-project of mine which is inspired by the City of Glass-novel in The New York Trilogy by my favorite writer, Mr. Auster. Perhaps it is in your interest to check it out. The project is called The Tower of Babel and can be accessed by clicking the following link."

On Sunday 29th April 2007 there was an article in the LA Times entitled 'Cover Me' written by Richard Rayner. Rayner writes within the piece "Paul Auster and Art Spiegelman are friends. Spiegelman's art for Auster's "New York Trilogy" shows a deep and easy familiarity with Manhattan, with the pulp fiction from which this contemporary existential masterpiece emerged and with Auster himself - an ink portrait on the back flap shows a lean and youthful Auster, fountain pen in hand, one eye blanked out by a magnifying glass. Spiegelman weaves this motif throughout, rendering a score of lost eyes staring from the background of the cover. It's a haunting conceit, emerging from the work while concentrating its meaning."

On Thursday 26th April 2007 the band Peter Bjorn & John were interviewed by Gothamist. When asked which New Yorker they most admired they replied "Paul Auster is a great writer who makes you feel a part of the city. Also Lou Reed, Paul Simon and Woody Allen 'cause they in different ways represents and presented the dream of the city for me."

On Tuesday 24th April 2007 Herve Jouanneau e-mailed to say "just sending you this news : Paul Auster has been awarded by the French government. At the French embassy in NYC, Paul Auster has received an official medal (he has been nominated "commandeur des Arts et des Lettres") for his work. The ambassador said Auster "is the most French among the American writers". Auster answered that he was "upset". "This country, France, gave me so much... Thank you so much". Here is the link. And a day later Catherine Echapt e-mailed to say "here is my little contribution."

On Tuesday 27th March 2007 an article appeared in The Daily Telegraph entitled 'Jeremy Noel-Tod reviews Collected Poems by Paul Auster'. "A favourite fiction of many novelists is that they are really poets. Although Paul Auster stopped publishing poetry when he turned to prose, he has stayed faithful to his verse, even suggesting that it might be "the best work I've ever done". Auster's optimism puts him in good company. His hero, Samuel Beckett, persisted in writing poetry much less brilliant than his fiction and drama. But Beckett's shortcomings as a poet are forgivably original. This lavish reprint showcases a largely imitative oeuvre."

On Saturday 24th March 2007 friend of the site Dylan Staley e-mailed to say "The first positive review of "The Inner Life of Martin Frost," by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat of 'Spirituality and Practice.' The review also features two new stills from the film. And a picture of Paul and Sophie at the premiere."

On Friday 23rd March 2007 Dylan Staley e-mailed to say "Here is a new radio interview with Paul Auster and Irene Jacob about "The Inner Life of Martin Frost"

On Thursday 22nd March 2007 Dylan Staley e-mailed to say "Just wanted to let you know that the first thorough review of "The Inner Life of Martin Frost" has surfaced via Variety. Check it out. By the way, I'm sure a Rotten Tomatoes entry will be created for this film in the next few days (it's unlisted there at the moment) allowing us to keep better track of what people are saying about Auster's latest filmmaking endeavor."

On Wednesday 21st March 2007 Dylan Staley e-mailed to say "Here is a very good three-page article from "The New York Sun" entitled "Auster Returns to the Director's Chair." Meanwhile, "The Inner Life of Martin Frost" premieres today in NY, so expect a variety of reviews very soon. The two that have already surfaced (from Slant and Village Voice) aren't very positive, and the former seems to have entirely missed the point of the story (or at least what I, and all of Auster's fans, gathered from reading the chapter in "Book of Illusions" that this film is based on). I'll keep my eyes peeled for more reviews and blog entries, as I'm rather anxious as to what the overall reaction will be from critics and audiences."

Paul Auster's film 'The Inner Life of Martin Frost' will premiere at the 36th New Directors Film Festival between Wednesday 21st March 2007 and Sunday 1st April 2007. Paul Auster said in a recent interview "the world premiere will be end of March in New York, either at MOMA or Lincoln Center. The festival uses both theatres." In fact the exact dates are Wednesday 21st March 2007 at The Museum of Modern Art and Thursday 22nd March 2007 at the Lincoln Center.

The following text is taken from Backstage:

"Novelist-turned-director Paul Auster's fantasy "The Inner Life of Martin Frost" and Argentinean director Alexis Dos Santos' coming-of-age feature "Glue" will open the 36th annual New Directors/New Films festival, hosted by the Museum of Modern Art's film department and the Film Society of Lincoln Center.

"Frost," based on a character in Auster's 2002 novel "The Book of Illusions," stars David Thewlis as a writer haunted by bizarre characters who appear during his much-needed vacation at a country house. Irene Jacob, Michael Imperioli and Sophie Auster co-star.

Paul Auster is a slightly odd choice for a fest showcasing "new or emerging international directors" given that he helmed 1998's "Lulu on the Bridge" and co-directed 1995's "Blue in the Face" with Wayne Wang."

Indie Wire goes on to describing the film: "Having submitted his manuscript to his publisher, renowned novelist Martin Frost needs to recharge himself in seclusion. He is loaned a place in the country--where his isolation is short-lived. For his second feature film, American novelist and director Paul Auster plays with the character from his 2002 novel, The Book of Illusion. The incomparable David Thewlis essays the writer looking for peace, and Irene Jacob, Michael Imperioli and Sophie Auster play his unwelcome guests. Without missing a beat in moving from the page to the screen, Auster's serio-comic fantasy narrative remains mysterious, haunting, and enticing."

An article entitled 'Loose Lips' in Theatre Mania with Michael Imperioli reads: "March will be a high-profile month for the actor; he's co-starring in The Inner Life of Martin Frost, a new film by his old friend Paul Auster, which will open the annual New Directors/New Films Festival at the Museum of Modern Art on March 21. "I play a plumber who moonlights as a writer," he says. "My character is ambitious but not very good. David Thewlis plays Martin, this famous writer; he hires me to fix the heater in his cabin, and I ask him to look at my work. We did the shoot in a beautiful, idyllic house in Portugal last summer. We ate long lunches, and the whole thing was ridiculously smooth."

On Saturday 17th March 2007 Gerard Woodward looked for the novelist in Paul Auster's Collected Poems in an article entitled 'The stones speak' in The Guardian. "It gradually becomes clear, however, why Auster abandoned poetry in favour of prose fiction - he was getting nowhere with it."

The Quality Writing Center is hosting a photo exhibit by Sabine Schmidt in Kimpel Hall 319 through Friday 16th March 2007. These photos belong to a series on urban psychogeography. Psychogeography is the idea that places hold multiple meanings and memories. Anyone can tap into these layers of personal and public history; walking reveals the patterns. The photos, inspired by the novels of Peter Kurzeck and Paul Auster, try to convey a sense of the many memories and experiences that make up the identity of an urban neighborhood. Half of them were taken near Kurzeck's home in the university district of Frankfurt; the others show locations from Auster's New York Trilogy.

On Thursday 15th March 2007 I received an e-mail from the artist Julie Beugin. It read "I'm a big fan of Paul Auster too. I noticed in your news section you mentioned my painting based on a Paul Auster novel. If you're interested, here's a link to my website, with images of paintings and some info." There are a couple of paintings on the site entitled 'Instead I walled myself up...' which were, as you will see, inspired by Paul Auster's novel Moon Palace and they're terrific. Well worth a look.

On Monday 12th March 2007 I was interviewed by free-lance journalist and writer for Applicando magazine Luigi Milani for his website False Percezioni. The interview is primarily about the intentions behind and the design of Paul Auster - The Definitive Website.

According to The Independent on Sunday 11th March 2007 Steven Hall's book 'The Raw Shark Texts' namechecks Paul Auster amongst others. And according to The Guardian "Yes, this does sound like a novel only a certain type of undergraduate could love, and the list of ultra-cool pastiches is extensive: The Matrix, Memento, Paul Auster, Mark Z Danielewski's House of Leaves, Chuck Palahniuk, and especially Haruki Murakami's Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World."

On Thursday 8th March 2007 an article entitled 'Paul Auster Is Huge in France, on Crosby Street' appeared in the Daily Intelligencer. "As the author appeared, wearing a shirt the French would describe as fraise under a navy sweater, a visible jolt went through the crowd. Auster began with a short unpublished piece from 1999, about home ownership and homelessness. In the evening's context, the essay took on an explanatory tinge: "As with everything else in America, it comes down to the question of money," he read. "Wealth creates poverty. That's the secret equation of the market economy." The international fans nodded, their worst images of America confirmed - and, at the same time, negated - by the handsome, casually brilliant speaker."

On Wednesday 7th March 2007 Paul Auster was on the final leg of his book tour of Travels In The Scriptorium at Housing Works Bookstore Cafe, 126 Crosby Street, New York at 7pm.

Last year the president of the borough of Brooklyn, Marty Markowitz, declared 27th February as an official Paul Auster Day. He said "He's a true Brooklyn character and that's why I'm naming a day for him. When you meet him you know he's a Brooklyn character. He's got this Brooklyn spirit and Brooklyn attitude."

On Sunday 25th February 2007 according to Turkish Press "Paul Auster, one of the most remarkable representatives of contemporary American literature, expressed his opinions about Turkey, in an exclusive interview with Milliyet daily. "It is impossible to understand what has been done to Orhan Pamuk," Auster said, stating that one of the basic features of a democracy was to respect every opinion no matter it was appreciated or not."

The musician Don Byron, who featured in 'Lulu on the Bridge', is due to play at Yoshi's on Monday 19th February 2007 through to Tuesday 20th February 2007.

On Wednesday 14th February 2007 Brian McGuirk e-mailed to say "Just thought I'd mention that I just read a new interview with Paul Auster on the website of my hometown bookstore...the interview is great. Paul gives some details about the movie that I haven't seen, talks about the unfortunate fate of someone he translated, and the process behind Travels. He also mentions a bar in Berlin named after him...maybe one of your German readers can take a picture for us?"

On Tuesday 13th February 2007 Dylan Staley e-mailed in to say that a "recording of the February 6th "Upstairs at the Square" event with Paul Auster and Sophie Auster is now available online to listen to at the Barnes and Noble website. It's a great listen" Click here for the recording page.

On Tuesday 13th February 2007 Paul Auster will be on leg three of his tour of the novel Travels In The Scriptorium at 192 Books, 192 Tenth Avenue, New York at 7pm.

Author Paul Auster and chanteuse Sophie Auster featured in the Next "Upstairs at the Square" on Tuesday 6th February 2007 at the Union Square Barnes & Noble, Manhattan (33 East 17th Street at Union Square) at 7pm.

On Sunday 4th February 2007 there was an article in the New York Post by Quentin Rowan entitled 'A Beautiful Mind'. "Perhaps it has to do with the surprises Auster has up his sleeve for 2007 - besides the publication of this, his 13th novel, he'll premiere his second film as a director, "The Inner Life of Martin Frost," at the New Director's Film Festival in March, just weeks after his 60th birthday. The film is based on a section of Auster's "The Book of Illusions" and features Michael Imperioli of "The Sopranos," David Thewlis and Auster's own daughter, Sophie."

On Saturday 3rd February 2007 Paul Auster was 60 years of age.

Aitor Alonso e-mailed to say "Travels in the Scriptorium is out in Spain since Thursday 1st February 2007. As with The Brooklyn Follies, the book has been released in all the regional lenguages of Spain at the same time, which is not very common."

On Tuesday 30th January 2007 Paul Auster was at a book signing of 'Travels In The Scriptorium' in Cambridge, MA, USA. John Brawley, (contributor to 'I Thought My Father Was God'), wrote to say "I attended Paul's reading in Cambridge, MA last Tuesday; it was well attended and a great opportunity for some folks to ask questions, etc. Anyway, a local media group was there and just posted a one-minute piece on the event."

On Tuesday 23rd January 2007 Travels In The Scriptorium was released in the United States.

On Thursday 18th January 2007 there was an article on Canada.com entitled "Portraits of space inspire reflection". The article went on to say "Artist Julie Beugin says her paintings start from literary sources. "I choose books by how the authors deal with space, especially interior space." For instance, Paul Auster's novel Moon Palace was the muse for Beugin's beguiling painting Instead I walled myself up..."

On Thursday 18th January 2007 I received an e-mail from Jef Aerosol which said "Hello! See attached files!" accompanied by the following three photographs: 1, 2 and 3. You can find out more about the artist Jef Aerosol by visiting here and here.

FromThursday 11th January 2007 to Wednesday 17th January 2007 the 25th Key West Literary Seminar took place. The seminar featured such noted authors as Joyce Carol Oates, Paul Auster, Margaret Atwood, Ian McEwan, Michael Cunningham, Jeffrey Eugenides, Amy Tan and Wally Lamb.

The Moviegoer from Vue Weekly wrote recently "It was the final weekend of the annual Key West Literary Seminar, which meant that I got to stand in line for popcorn behind Paul Auster, Michael Cunningham and Ian McEwan and watch the movie while seated behind Jeffrey Eugenides, Siri Hustvedt and Amy Tan. Very exciting."

On Friday 5th January 2007 Ani Weinstein closed her solo dance piece "Show Me the Body" inspired by both the legal proceedings surrounding detainees at Guantanamo Bay and by Paul Auster's Invention of Solitude at 7:30 at the Dance Theater Workshop, 219 West 19th Street, Chelsea, USA.

On Friday 26th December 2006 Dylan Staley e-mailed me to say "I just found a gallery online of production photos from the shooting of "The Inner Life of Martin Frost." Through the link you will find pictures of Paul Auster, Sophie Auster, David Thewlis, Michael Imperioli, assistant director Jose Maria Vaz, and caterer Vitor Faria (who says that Paul Auster only drinks tea, and only Earl Grey. And also that the writer is the only one who returns the cup to him)."

lan Rosenburg listed his top 10 audio books from 2006 in the Providence Journal on Tuesday 26th December 2006. In 8th position he listed Paul Auster's The Brooklyn Follies (Harper Audio, unabridged, 8 hours). "This wise, warm novel is narrated by one Nathan Glass, a retired insurance salesman ready to die and obsessed with the mistakes he - and everyone he knows - has made over a lifetime of blown chances. Then, by happenstance, Nathan reconnects with his nephew, a failed academic, and their lives become intertwined, not only with one another but with an increasingly large set of supporting players, each of whom adds to the rich brew that Nathan's existence becomes as he reenters the world of the emotionally living."

On Monday 18th December 2006 Graham Coxon was interviewed by Chris Rolls on MP3.com. Coxon said during the interview "The thing about America is it has some unbelievable writers, an incredible history of writing, and incredible minds. But it doesn't seem to be very known for it, especially over here. You know, you have Truman Capote, and you have Paul Auster, and you have Salinger. And I mean, incredible writers and minds. And we do over here too. But it's the fact that everything is...it's the digital era; the digital phenomena just destroyed this race, our race. I am kind of resentful of the fact that I am now on this planet when it's well past its sell-by date; when the shelf life is well gone. I look around, and I see no style, and so I'm really pissed off about that. And I think, well, I would like to have 80 years of life, perhaps, just going in that time between the wars, yes."

The New York Trilogy' was voted one of the top 100 books by booksellers in the Waterstones 25 years in books survey.