Hand to Mouth

Paul Auster's Hand to Mouth is a fascinating and often funny memoir about his early years as a young, struggling writer. From one odd job to the next, from one failed scheme to another, Auster investigates his own stubborn compulsion to make art and describes his ingenious, often farfetched attempts to survive on next to nothing. From the streets of New York City, Dublin, and Paris to a dusty little village in Mexico, Auster introduces an unforgettable cast of characters while examining what it means to be a writer.

Praise

"Delightful . . . A gracious and humane tale . . . One can only marvel at Auster’s artistry."—The Boston Globe

"An engaging account of his early attempts to stay afloat as a writer . . . with a colorful cast of sharply etched characters who he meets along the way."—Chicago Tribune

"Auster writes in a voice so clear, so mesmerizing, and so profound . . . He is unafraid of his own power, precisely because he has acknowledged humiliation’s alchemy, its way of letting words vibrate at whatever weird, golden velocity they wish. Hand to Mouth vibrates . . . beautiful."—Wayne Koestenbaum, Bookforum

"Required, inspiring reading for Auster-holics and aspiring writers."—Kirkus Reviews

"As a cautionary tale for writers, this is a superb book."—Publishers Weekly

About the Author(s)

Paul Auster

Paul Auster's previous novel, Timbuktu, was a national bestseller, as was I Thought My Father Was God, the NPR National Story Project anthology, which he edited. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. The Book of Illusions is his tenth novel.

photo: Sigrid Estrada

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