Thank you and goodbye, Mr. Auster

plus: April as told by my camera roll

Paul Auster books and Jawbreaker records are my foundational texts. You can draw a straight line from those albums to my life in music, and I’m a reader and a writer because of Auster.

After learning of Auster’s passing late last night, I started rereading The Invention of Solitude. It was the only ebook from his early work with no waitlist on the Libby app. Mal was sleeping, so I wanted to read on the Kindle without turning on a light in our bedroom.

I’d forgotten what it was, that it opens with death. I’d forgotten, maybe never really knew, that it was his first book. I went looking for my physical copy this morning, but it’s missing, so I bought a used one on eBay for $1.99 in my preferred Penguin paperback pressing.

I’ve had Auster’s weighty 4321 on the shelf, unread, for several years. It’s perfect for My Year of Reading Thiccly™️, so I’ll start that beast once I’m through 2666. I’ll likely reread some of my other old favorites, too. Anyone go hard for his stuff published in the ‘00s? I missed most of those, popping in here and there with a couple novels. It’s been common to hear dismissive stuff about those books, but I bet some are due for reevaluation.

Goodbye to the fuckin’ man.

Here are some favorites from April as told by my camera roll.

🖤AV

Thanks for being here.

🖤AV

PS: My buddy Lexi Kent-Mooning reads my short piece from Sad Happens on the newest episode of Slow Stories followed by a great interview with Brandon and Rose on making the book.