Invention of Solitude ~ Paul Auster
Auster thinks that coincidences have some sort of important meaning, and I think coincidences are simply explainable by elementary laws of probability. See here the reason why I can’t read his new books anymore.
Turns out, he already celebrated some coincidences in this book, his debut, although he did not make such a fuss about them yet as he later would come to do.
But, I always liked this book.
In the first part of The Invention of Solitude Auster recollects his memories and feelings for his father, after this selfish man died. The second part, called ‘The Book of Memory’ deals with his own failings as a father, and the early stages of his career in writing. And especially these musings I will reread every ten years or so.
Thought for today, a quote from page 136:
Every book is an image of solitude. It is a tangible object that one can pick up, put down, open, and close, and in its words represents many months, if not years, of one man’s solitude. A man sits in a room and writes. Whether a book speaks of loneliness or companionship, it is necessarily a product of solitude.
Because, if a book is an image of solitude, what would that make a weblog with book reviews?
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