Comments on Chicago Ex-Patriate: Solitary Pursuits

I'm going to second the Smoke recommendation. That...

2008-11-18T23:23:00.000-06:00

I'm going to second the Smoke recommendation. That film is one of my favorites, as well as the only film which constitutes a Christmas institution in my household.

Thanks! And talk about perfect timing: I just star...

2008-11-18T20:54:00.000-06:00

Thanks! And talk about perfect timing: I just started a subscription about two weeks ago.

You might also be interested in "Why Write?" from ...

2008-11-18T18:21:00.000-06:00

You might also be interested in "Why Write?" from The New Yorker. You need to be a subscriber to read the full article, but I could hook you up with a copy.

It might not be apparent from the one work, but if...

2008-11-18T18:05:00.000-06:00

It might not be apparent from the one work, but if you delve into Auster at all -- I'd recommend starting with The New York Trilogy -- you'll see identity as really his only subject.

And because you're a movie person, too, there's no harm in Smoke (which he wrote) or The Music of Chance (which was adapted quite well from his novel).

To be clear, your essay helped me recognize that perhaps the mystery of who his father was informs the obsession with identity.

I hate to admit this, but this is my first introdu...

2008-11-18T17:38:00.000-06:00

I hate to admit this, but this is my first introduction to Auster.

I'm glad I inadvertently helped you realize a point. I'll keep this in mind the next time I read it, but I didn't read "Portrait Of An Invisible Man" as a source of obsession. Yes, there's a definite theme of identity, but I found it more matter-of-fact than obsessive.

I don't know how familiar you are with Auster gene...

2008-11-18T17:17:00.000-06:00

I don't know how familiar you are with Auster generally, but his primary method is to rip a character apart to see what he's made of. (Has Auster written any female protagonists?)

I hadn't thought of "Portrait of an Invisible Man" as context -- as potentially the/a source of his obsession with identity -- until your essay, but it makes sense. (I recognize that this was not your point, but you've helped clarify something for me.)

And while The Invention of Solitude deals directly with creation, almost every Auster work features as a central theme isolation/disconnection. And The Music of Chance and Leviathan also concern themselves with creation/construction.