Holy cow, what was that?

I am a big fan of Paul Auster. Surprisingly so, really, because it is quite abnormal for this realistic economist-with-little-fantasy to like books written in Auster's style, known for being absurd and surrealistic. Usually, if it "is not possible" or "not likely to be possible", I put a story aside, labelling it as being a waste of my time. Yet with Auster's books it is different. His stories, and I have read most of them so far, with "Brooklyn Follies" being my absolute favourite, next to the "New York Trilogy", just grab me by the throat and I cannot put them down. There's something so strange and absurd in it, that it becomes impossible not to finish the book trying to understand what the f*** is going on.
And that's Auster's trick: he confuses the reader and wants to him/her to be desperate to understand.
I like it. Brain puzzles. Messing with your mind. Nice.

So no big surprise that the same happens in "Travels in the scriptorium", a short, yet breathtaking piece of work that once again underlines the talent of Auster. Only 150 pages long, yet mind boggling from beginning to end. We meet an older person in a room. He doesn't know who he is, where he is or what he is supposed to do there. Only few objects present in the room, among which a table and some papers, which seem to some manuscript. While attempting to read this manuscript, he is being interrupted several times by visitors, be it to take care of him, feed him or interrogate him, leaving hints about his identity or past. And all the time, "Mr Blank" tries to figure out who he is and what he is doing there. One starts to wonder what is real and what isn't. And why, on earth, if you're locked into a room and you don't know where you are, you just don't think of opening the door…. Nothing is as it seems.

As the book brings together most of the protagonists of Auster's earlier work, it is highly recommendable that you read the other books first. Not recognising the characters will not take away the essence of this story, yet it will diminish the extent to which once can appreciate the quality of it to a large extent.

I am an even bigger fan of Paul Auster now.

خیلی سر در نیاوردم...جالب بود. شاید چون کتاب صوتی گوش دادم تمرکز نداشتم ولی مطمئن نیستم ارزش دوباره خوندن داشته باشه. سرگرم کننده بود بیشتر

Mr. Blank está recluido en una habitación y no recuerda nada. Está en la misma situación del lector. Ambos emprendemos el mismo camino de descubrimiento.

Adicionalmente, lo vigilan al estilo Gran Hermano de Orwell. Una serie de papeles y personajes van arrojando luz a la trama. Entretenida novela que a través de pistas y recuerdos van armando la historia.

I have to say this was the worst Paul Auster book I've read, and I've read most of his works. If you must read Travels in the Scriptorium, it is best that you keep your expectations in check. That way you won't be bitterly disappointed. From the very first words I thought this story was going nowhere. I was correct. When I had finished it it had gone nowhere. It was a tedious read. And a bore. At least though, the second half was a little better than the first, but overall I thought it was a lame story and poorly written, not the work of Paul Auster at his best. If you're thinking of reading this book I suggest you borrow it from your local library and save your money for something decent. I have generously given this two stars, but I was tempted to give it one.

غريبة.
طوال الوقت أبحث عن إجابة عما يحدث في الرواية ولماذا يحدث، مع لخبطة الاسماء بالنسبة لي.
ولكن كالمعتاد سقف التوقعات قد يُخيب الآمال إلى حد كبير.

Atmospheric and disorientating. Like being caught in a fun house that is located on the tilt-a-whirl. While most readers will be able to put the pieces of the overall story together, the individual parts of the story are harder to solve. A welcome departure from what I have been reading recently.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

مع الاعتذار للمترجم سامر

بوعي عميق لسطوة الخيال وقوته؛ يتحدث أوستر عن الشخصيات التي يخترعها الكتاب ويرمون بها في خضم أحداث قصصهم.
يموت الكاتب حتما يوما ما؛ ولكن إن كان لقصص الكاتب قيمة فإن شخصيات قصصه تبقى أسيرة خيال الكاتب الي ابتدعها الى الأبد.
آنا كارنينا مثلا لو كتب لها أن تلتمس من تولستوي "خالقها وسبحان من خلقه" أن يغير شيئا مما قالته أوفعلته؛ ماذا ستراها قائلة؟!
بيد أني أرى أن الأخطر هو الخيال الذي يضفيه كاتب على شخصية حقيقية فيسجنها في خيال قد لايمت لحقيقتها بصلة تذكر.
اسلوب أوستر جميل ويعرف كيف يحافظ على جذوة لتشويق مشتعلة حتى النهاية.

رواية مروعة مخيفة عبثية لأقصى درجة ..

The first Paul Auster I've read where I totally get why some people dislike not just him, but his writing.

Felt like a little self-indulgent quick smarty-pants bullshit project/trick, or maybe I'm just not sophisticated enough to appreciate it. Glad it was short or I never would have finished it (though, annoyingly, it IS something you feel like you need to get to the end of which only helps make you feel manipulated into "getting" it in more ways than one).

I guess I was supposed to feel really depressed about life at the end, but I did finish it right before falling to sleep and that was perfect and not-disturbing at all for me.

I've also been slogging through Murakami's After Dark off-and-on for months so both of these books all-seeing-camera-recorder things and narrators remind me of each other. Neither as compellingly crafty or interesting as they want them to be.

Me gusta mucho la escritura del autor. La trama tiene su misterio y sus vueltas, como esas muñecas rusas, una historia en otra historia. Interesante el juego para mantener el hilo.

كاتب عجوز تراوده أطياف شخصيات و أبطال رواياته، و هم أبطال أوستر، شخصيات من ثلاثية نيويورك و في بلاد الأشياء الأخيرة و مستر فيرتيجو و غيرها. يظهرون من العدم ليضعوه في حجرة أشبه ما تكون بالسجن الانفرادي، ينتظرون محاكمته و معاقبته، لأنه من أوجدهم و مع ذلك لم يتحلى بحس المسؤولية فتركهم عرضة للزمن، ولوضع غريب فلا حياة واقعية لهم و مع ذلك فهم لا يموتون! في النهاية هو خالقهم، و على الخالق أن يُحاسب بو أساء معاملة خلقه.