The New York Trilogy

City of Glass: 3/5
Snug up in the dark
use this time to learn new words
don't let the screams out.

Ghosts: 2/5
Staring at a man
a man staring at a book
a book I'm reading.

The Locked Room: 4/5
Vulgar flattery
deep in his sloppy seconds
horned up for struggle.

now having read more auster, i find it easier to place his breakthrough piece. in essence, it's an assemblage of deconstructed forms, narratives, prose. each is compelling on standalone basis but together they often do not mix well. in particular, in all 3 sections, auster seems to dig himself the same hole as his writer protagonist in the later oracle night does, having penned a brilliant first 50 pages but unable to find a meaningful resolution beyond a reduction into dust. each section gets stronger, the last displaying an almost there version of the confident, all-conquering narrative voice that he masters in novel #2 and never loses

fascinating

This series of novellas is considered a postmodern take on the detective novel and uses conventions of the genre as their base. In all three stories, a solitary male character finds himself involved in a mystery that was artificially constructed to one degree or another by an antagonist that we know little about.

Each of these protagonists goes on a downward spiral and loses sight of himself, the purpose in his own life, and his relationships or goals. Quinn, the main character from “City of Glass” is the most sympathetic, maybe because before the start of his adventure he has already suffered tragedy. By the time the reader can see that his mystery has come to a deadend, he doesn't let go.

“Quinn no longer had any interest in himself. He wrote about the stars, the earth, his hopes for mankind. He felt that his words had been severed from him, that now they were part of the world at large, as real and specific as a stone, or a lake, or a flower.”

“It struck me that writing under another name might be something I would enjoy–to invent a secret identity for myself–and I wondered why I found this idea so attractive.”

“As the days go on, Blue realizes there is no end to the stories he can tell. For Black is no more than a kind of blankness, a hole in the texture of things, and one story can fill this hole as well as any other”

This is a weird little puzzle-box that delights in confounding your ideas about how narratives are meant to work. The stories bleed into each other and into reality. I liked it.

The linguistic theory stuff in City of Glass reminded me of [b: Snow Crash 40651883 Snow Crash Neal Stephenson https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1530057753l/40651883.SX50.jpg 493634], which is always a good thing. Ghosts was a bit weaker, and felt like a variation of the same themes. But The Locked Room brought it around for me again, by bringing the more abstract ideas of the others into a more personal story.We become our obsessions, and if our obsession is another person, we risk losing our identity.

When you are done, you'll want to start over again now that you've found new layers to the stories - and that's Auster for you.

Thoroughly enjoyed these three books. Not sure about the whole trilogy concept though. Most Auster's books have the same story: an author follows a few strange paths and ends up on some wild adventure. Not only did all 3 books in the trilogy have this same plot structure, Leviathan and The Brooklyn Follies did too.
Still, there is something unique and charmingly about the prose and journeys. Definitely one of my favourite authors.

I think I must have been about 18 when my older brother gave me [a:Paul Auster's 296961 Paul Auster https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1554662932p2/296961.jpg] “[b:The New York Trilogy 431 The New York Trilogy Paul Auster https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386924429l/431.SX50.jpg 2343071]” as a gift for my birthday. I started reading it - and hated it! I couldn't get into it, couldn't get a grip on it. I put it back into my bookshelf and forgot about it for a few years.It fell again into my hands (quite literally!) when I reorganised my shelves and I decided to give it another chance. This time around, though, I just read and suspended judgement. I won't lie to you: I had similar difficulties as before but this time I kept reading. And, somehow, things started falling into place...With accepting that Auster employs a unique kind of storytelling came understanding and respect for his masterful writing. Ultimately, I became completely engrossed in the three interconnected novels that make up this trilogy.The first novel, “City of Glass”, sets the tone for the rest of the trilogy with its atmospheric and almost dreamlike descriptions of New York City. Auster's ability to capture the essence of the city, with all its chaos and intrigue, is truly remarkable. The protagonist, Daniel Quinn, is a complex and fascinating character who becomes embroiled in a mysterious case that takes him on a journey through the city and ultimately leads him to question his own sanity. The way Auster weaves together the themes of identity, language, and the power of perception in this novel is simply brilliant.The second novel, “Ghosts”, picks up where “City of Glass” left off and follows a new protagonist, Blue, as he investigates a strange case involving a man named Black who may or may not be dead. As the story unfolds, the lines between reality and fiction become increasingly blurred, and Auster expertly explores the themes of memory, history, and the idea of the self.So far, though, those novels didn't seem like parts of a trilogy. Yes, there were interconnections, both obvious ones as well as more obscure ones but I was still a little sceptical...And then came the final novel, “The Locked Room”, which brings the trilogy to a more-than-satisfying conclusion by tying together the threads that run throughout the three books. Sometimes these threads are so thin, they might be mistaken for an undercurrent or background noise and yet they're there...In this final part Auster took all those threads and wove them into a beautiful complex literary “tapestry” that even now, decades later, shines bright in my memory.Its protagonist, Fanshawe, is a writer who mysteriously disappears, leaving behind a cache of unpublished manuscripts. As his childhood friend attempts to unravel the mystery of Fanshawe's disappearance, the reader is taken on a journey through the worlds of literature, art, and the human psyche.What I appreciated most about the “New York Trilogy” was Auster's willingness to take risks with his writing. His art - and there can be no doubt this is on par with any other great piece of art - was obviously more important than mainstream success. I remain convinced that Auster lost many potential readers like he initially lost me.And yet he took the risk and explored complex ideas and themes in a way that is both engaging and thought-provoking. The trilogy is filled with twists and turns that keep the reader on their toes, and the characters are so well-drawn that it's impossible not to become invested in their stories.In conclusion, I would highly recommend Paul Auster's “New York Trilogy” to anyone who is looking for a thought-provoking and engaging read. Auster's writing is truly masterful, and the trilogy as a whole is a testament to his brilliance and genius as an author. After reading the “New York Trilogy” I've “blindly” bought each and every book Auster has written and with one exception (“[b:4 3 2 1 30244626 4 3 2 1 Paul Auster https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1463822564l/30244626.SY75.jpg 50710100]”) I've enjoyed them all. For me, Paul Auster has become an icon of literature and his “New York Trilogy” is the reason I hesitate to leave a book unfinished - what if it's another unique masterpiece?!Five stars out of five.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam