“Don't be a writer; it's a terrible way to live your life. There's nothing to be gained from it but poverty and obscurity and solitude. So if you have a taste for all those things, which means that you really are burning to do it, then go ahead and do it. But don't expect anything from anybody.”

American writer, novelist, memoirist, poet, and filmmaker

Paul Auster was an American writer, novelist, memoirist, poet, and filmmaker. He is known for fiction and nonfiction that helped make him a distinctive voice in late 20th and early 21st century American letters. His work includes The New York Trilogy, Moon Palace, The Music of Chance, True Tales of American Life, The Book of Illusions, The Brooklyn Follies, Invisible, Sunset Park, Winter Journal, 4 3 2 1, and Bloodbath Nation. His books have been translated into more than 40 languages.