The Invention of Solitude

The Invention of Solitude

infobox Book |
name = The Invention of Solitude
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption =
author = Paul Auster
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country = flag|United States
language = English
series =
genre = Memoir
publisher = Faber & Faber
release_date = 1982
english_release_date =
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback)
pages = 192 pp (hardback edition)
isbn = ISBN 0-571-14925-1 (hardback edition)
preceded_by = -
followed_by = The New York Trilogy

"The Invention of Solitude" is the debut work of Paul Auster, a memoir published in 1982. The book is divided into two parts, "Portrait of an Invisible Man", which concerns the sudden death of Auster's father, and "The Book of Memory", in which Auster delivers his personal opinions concerning subjects such as coincidence, fate, and solitude, subjects that have become trademarks of Auster's works.

Portrait of an Invisible Man

The first part of the book is about Auster's father, a man barely present to his son, is the subject of this memoir/meditation. "Invisible to others, and most likely invisible to himself as well". Auster reconstructs his father's life from artifacts left behind after his sudden but quiet death.

The Book of Memory

The second part of the book comes across as more of a critical essay concerning many of the themes found in Auster's works: the order of events, absurdism, chance. Although "The Book of Memory" is slightly less autobiographical than "Portrait of an Invisible Man", it is also a personal account of opinions and contains references to his life.


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