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Oracle Night
The discovery of a mysterious notebook turns a man's life upside-down in this compulsively readable novel by 'one of the great writers of our time' ( San Francisco Chronicle ).
Several months into his recovery from a near-fatal illness, novelist Sidney Orr enters a stationery shop in Brooklyn and buys a blue notebook. It is September 18, 1982, and for the next nine days Orr will live under the spell of this blank book, trapped inside a world of eerie premonitions and bewildering events that threaten to destroy his marriage and undermine his faith in reality.
Paul Auster's mesmerizing eleventh novel reads like an old-fashioned ghost story. But there are no ghosts in this book - only flesh-and-blood human beings, wandering through the haunted realms of everyday life. Oracle Night is a narrative tour de force that confirms Auster's reputation as one of the boldest, most original writers at work in America today.
Several months into his recovery from a near-fatal illness, novelist Sidney Orr enters a stationery shop in Brooklyn and buys a blue notebook. It is September 18, 1982, and for the next nine days Orr will live under the spell of this blank book, trapped inside a world of eerie premonitions and bewildering events that threaten to destroy his marriage and undermine his faith in reality.
Paul Auster's mesmerizing eleventh novel reads like an old-fashioned ghost story. But there are no ghosts in this book - only flesh-and-blood human beings, wandering through the haunted realms of everyday life. Oracle Night is a narrative tour de force that confirms Auster's reputation as one of the boldest, most original writers at work in America today.
245 pages, Paperback
First published December 2, 2003
About the author
Paul Auster
287 books11.7k followersPaul Auster was the bestselling author of 4 3 2 1, Bloodbath Nation, Baumgartner, The Book of Illusions, and The New York Trilogy, among many other works. In 2006 he was awarded the Prince of Asturias Prize for Literature. Among his other honors are the Prix Médicis Étranger for Leviathan, the Independent Spirit Award for the screenplay of Smoke, and the Premio Napoli for Sunset Park. In 2012, he was the first recipient of the NYC Literary Honors in the category of fiction. He was also a finalist for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award (The Book of Illusions), the PEN/Faulkner Award (The Music of Chance), the Edgar Award (City of Glass), and the Man Booker Prize (4 3 2 1). Auster was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and a Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. His work has been translated into more than forty languages. He died at age seventy-seven in 2024.
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November 20, 2021
Oracle Night, Paul Auster
The novel is about a writer named Sidney Orr (Orlovsky), who, after making a miraculous recovery from near fatal illness, buys a new notebook and starts writing a story about a man who completely changed his life when he realized how much his existence was ruled by randomness.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: ماه نوامبر سال2003میلادی
عنوان: شب پیشگویی؛ نویسنده: پل آستر (اوستر)؛ مترجم: خجسته کیهان؛ تهران، افق، سال1384؛ در271ص؛ فروست ادبیات امروز، رمان23؛ شابک9643691632؛ چاپ دوم سال1386؛ چاپ پنجم سال1392؛ چاپ ششم سال 1397؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده21م
داستان «شب پیشگویی»، روایت زندگی جوان نویسنده ای است، که پس از مدتی دوری از نوشتن؛ با خریدن یک دفترچه ی آبی رنگ، بار دیگر اشتیاق نوشتن را، در خود احساس میکند، و با طرح داستانی در ذهنش، آغاز به نگارش داستان میکند؛ داستان مردی که یک زندگی را ترک میکند، و ناپدید میشود؛ تا در جایی دیگر، زندگی دیگری برای خود بسازد...؛ جوان نویسنده که به تازگی پس از گذراندن یک بیماری دشوار و کشنده، بهبود یافته، در کنار داستانی که آغاز کرده، در کنار داستان زندگی خویش، به روایت داستان همسرش نیز میپردازد؛ و این سبب ایجاد چالشهایی در زندگی مشترک نویسنده با همسرش میشود؛ نویسنده ی جوان برای پرداختن به بخشهای پنهان زندگی مشترکشان، خیالپردازی میکند؛ و داستان را پیش میبرد...؛
نقل از کتاب: (ما عاشق بدنها نمیشویم، بلکه گرفتار عشق یکدیگر میشویم، و اگرچه موجودیت ما در پوست و استخوان محدود است، ولی همه چیز در آن خلاصه نمیشود؛ همه این را میدانیم، با اینحال به محض اینکه از فهرست خصوصیات ظاهری فراتر میرویم، درمیمانیم و واژه ها در سردرگمی و استعاره های مه آلود و بی اساس، مچاله میشوند؛ بعضیها آنرا آتش وجود مینامند؛ برخی شعله ی درونی، یا پرتو درونی وجود، و بعضی دیگر آن را گوهر فروزان درون مینامند؛ این اصطلاحات، همیشه تصاویر نور، گرما، و نیرو را، تداعی میکنند؛ آن جوهر زندگی که گاه روح مینامیم، همواره از طریق چشم با دیگران ارتباط مییابد؛ پافشاری شاعران بر این نکته حتما درست است؛ راز اشتیاق، با نگریستن به چشمان محبوب، آغاز میشود، چون تنها در آنجاست که میتوان، لحظه ای به آنچه که او واقعا هست، پی برد...)؛ پایان نقل
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 20/09/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 28/08/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
The novel is about a writer named Sidney Orr (Orlovsky), who, after making a miraculous recovery from near fatal illness, buys a new notebook and starts writing a story about a man who completely changed his life when he realized how much his existence was ruled by randomness.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: ماه نوامبر سال2003میلادی
عنوان: شب پیشگویی؛ نویسنده: پل آستر (اوستر)؛ مترجم: خجسته کیهان؛ تهران، افق، سال1384؛ در271ص؛ فروست ادبیات امروز، رمان23؛ شابک9643691632؛ چاپ دوم سال1386؛ چاپ پنجم سال1392؛ چاپ ششم سال 1397؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده21م
داستان «شب پیشگویی»، روایت زندگی جوان نویسنده ای است، که پس از مدتی دوری از نوشتن؛ با خریدن یک دفترچه ی آبی رنگ، بار دیگر اشتیاق نوشتن را، در خود احساس میکند، و با طرح داستانی در ذهنش، آغاز به نگارش داستان میکند؛ داستان مردی که یک زندگی را ترک میکند، و ناپدید میشود؛ تا در جایی دیگر، زندگی دیگری برای خود بسازد...؛ جوان نویسنده که به تازگی پس از گذراندن یک بیماری دشوار و کشنده، بهبود یافته، در کنار داستانی که آغاز کرده، در کنار داستان زندگی خویش، به روایت داستان همسرش نیز میپردازد؛ و این سبب ایجاد چالشهایی در زندگی مشترک نویسنده با همسرش میشود؛ نویسنده ی جوان برای پرداختن به بخشهای پنهان زندگی مشترکشان، خیالپردازی میکند؛ و داستان را پیش میبرد...؛
نقل از کتاب: (ما عاشق بدنها نمیشویم، بلکه گرفتار عشق یکدیگر میشویم، و اگرچه موجودیت ما در پوست و استخوان محدود است، ولی همه چیز در آن خلاصه نمیشود؛ همه این را میدانیم، با اینحال به محض اینکه از فهرست خصوصیات ظاهری فراتر میرویم، درمیمانیم و واژه ها در سردرگمی و استعاره های مه آلود و بی اساس، مچاله میشوند؛ بعضیها آنرا آتش وجود مینامند؛ برخی شعله ی درونی، یا پرتو درونی وجود، و بعضی دیگر آن را گوهر فروزان درون مینامند؛ این اصطلاحات، همیشه تصاویر نور، گرما، و نیرو را، تداعی میکنند؛ آن جوهر زندگی که گاه روح مینامیم، همواره از طریق چشم با دیگران ارتباط مییابد؛ پافشاری شاعران بر این نکته حتما درست است؛ راز اشتیاق، با نگریستن به چشمان محبوب، آغاز میشود، چون تنها در آنجاست که میتوان، لحظه ای به آنچه که او واقعا هست، پی برد...)؛ پایان نقل
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 20/09/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 28/08/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
March 15, 2019
I had been sick for a long time. When the day came for me to leave the hospital, I barely knew how to walk anymore, could barely remember who I was supposed to be....
One of the best Austers I've read, seriously.
Auster, you love him or you hate him. I've struggled with his books, but always ended up fascinated.
Auster writes brooding stories, there's always something below the surface and to find out what's going on is a challenge....This is a brooding story too, it was a smooth read for me, enjoyed every moment of it. Brooding, fascinating, intriguing, loving & sad. Fantastic story, really. Auster uses storylines within the main story, by way of footer notes in small print. Yes, it worked for me. And again, I love Auster's usual setting, New York, Brooklyn. The main character in the book Sidney Orr, walks the streets of New York, recovering from a serious illness. I can see, smell and feel New York.... one of my favorite cities in the world.... Auster always knows how to describe it just in the right way.... Loved it. 4.5 stars, maybe five. It's a story that lingers in the back of your head....
Recommended.
The story in short: "Several months into his recovery from a near-fatal illness 34-old novelist Sidney Orr enters a stationery shop in Brooklyn and buys a blue notebook. For the next 9 days Orr will live under the spell of this blue book, trapped inside a world of eerie premonitions and bewildering events that threaten to destroy his marriage and undermine his faith in reality..."
One of the best Austers I've read, seriously.
Auster, you love him or you hate him. I've struggled with his books, but always ended up fascinated.
Auster writes brooding stories, there's always something below the surface and to find out what's going on is a challenge....This is a brooding story too, it was a smooth read for me, enjoyed every moment of it. Brooding, fascinating, intriguing, loving & sad. Fantastic story, really. Auster uses storylines within the main story, by way of footer notes in small print. Yes, it worked for me. And again, I love Auster's usual setting, New York, Brooklyn. The main character in the book Sidney Orr, walks the streets of New York, recovering from a serious illness. I can see, smell and feel New York.... one of my favorite cities in the world.... Auster always knows how to describe it just in the right way.... Loved it. 4.5 stars, maybe five. It's a story that lingers in the back of your head....
Recommended.
The story in short: "Several months into his recovery from a near-fatal illness 34-old novelist Sidney Orr enters a stationery shop in Brooklyn and buys a blue notebook. For the next 9 days Orr will live under the spell of this blue book, trapped inside a world of eerie premonitions and bewildering events that threaten to destroy his marriage and undermine his faith in reality..."
September 26, 2020
The story-within-the-story device gives Paul Auster plenty of freedom to orchestrate this postmodern novel. These are the (fake) jottings of an active writer and they include daily occurrences (diarylike), ideas for plots, a coherent free-flow of thoughts and musings, a scrapbook of so much mixed media which describes a vivid world dabbling in the surreal. His avoiding the usage of quotation marks in the story-within-the-story’s dialogue conveys the continuity of the writer’s imagination. He uses literary irony, sometimes his character’s descriptions are so remarkably like those he makes of his acquaintances. Plot-wise there is jumping around, making whole days lapse only one paragraph, creating different story lines and times, using repetition to give the reader a vague sense of déjà vu.
Chapterless, it continues in the major tradition of the thriller (continued & realized to its most masterful level in 2006 with Scott Smith’s novel of visceral horror The Ruins) to be easy-to-follow, despite having no rests between climaxes & plot revelations. The “narcissistic novel” brand is befitting of 'Oracle Night.'
Let’s not forget Auster's trademark use of footnotes. More than creating an “academic” (i.e. entitled) voice, this tool can pump in more information to an otherwise “short” novel. Footnotes are small pockets of compressed data; additionally they allow the reader to interact with the text itself. He flips the pages prematurely to get the "hidden" back story, breaking the rules of literature by traversing through the main plot itself...
This is a book about books through & through.
Chapterless, it continues in the major tradition of the thriller (continued & realized to its most masterful level in 2006 with Scott Smith’s novel of visceral horror The Ruins) to be easy-to-follow, despite having no rests between climaxes & plot revelations. The “narcissistic novel” brand is befitting of 'Oracle Night.'
Let’s not forget Auster's trademark use of footnotes. More than creating an “academic” (i.e. entitled) voice, this tool can pump in more information to an otherwise “short” novel. Footnotes are small pockets of compressed data; additionally they allow the reader to interact with the text itself. He flips the pages prematurely to get the "hidden" back story, breaking the rules of literature by traversing through the main plot itself...
This is a book about books through & through.
September 27, 2024
"يثيرني دائماً اكتشافي لنماذج جديدة من تحيّزي وغبائي، وأن أدرك أنني لا أعرف نصف ما كنت أعتقد أنني أعرفه."
وأعتبر بأن رواية ليلة التنبؤ خالفت توقعاتي عن الرواية الأمريكية السينمائية. وأشكر من اقترحها عليّ.
بدايةً، شعرت ببعض التعقيد والصعوبة في تتبّع مسار الأحداث، لأنها كما قلت جاءت مخالفة للرواية البوليسية التقليدية ذات الأحداث السريعة المتلاحقة وسهلة السرد. فهذه الرواية مختلفة تماماً عن كل ما قرأت، تتشابك فيها العديد من الموضوعات في نسيج روائي سردي مُحكم وجذّاب، وتتناول أفكاراً عن هشاشة العواطف الإنسانية، الخوف المُرتقب من المستقبل، والحُب خارج المنطق، والمُتع العابرة لمواجهة القلق والوحدة، واستخدام العنف في تفاصيل حياتنا، والانجذاب إلى اللامرئيات.
تبدأ أحداث الرواية مع الكاتب سيدني أور، الذي بدأ بالتعافي من مرضه مؤخراً، ويقرر البدء بكتابة رواية جديدة يتناول فيها عقدة فلتكرافت بطل رواية الصقر المالطي لداشيل هاميت. فلتكرافت الذي نجا من الموت بأعجوبة وقرر أن يبدأ حياة جديدة. وهكذا حال بطل رواية أور، نيك بوين الذي نجا هو الآخر من الموت بأعجوبة وقرر أن يبدأ حياة جديدة، فذهب لمدينة أخرى ولم يخبر زوجته بالطبع، ولم يكن يحمل معه من متاع سوى رواية ليلة التنبؤ لسيلفيا ماكسويل.. وبذلك انقلبت حياة بوين رأساً على عقب. وقد قرأ بدوره رواية ليلة التنبؤ التي تدور حول جندي إنجليزي فقد بصره خلال الحرب، وبعد نجاته أصبحت لديه قدرة على رؤية أحداث المستقبل وهذا ذكّرني بمحمود السمنودي بطل رواية مثل إيكاروس لأحمد خالد توفيق التي قرأتها مؤخراً.. يعود بنا أوستر إلى بطل روايته الرئيسي، سيدني أور وعلاقته بزوجته جريس، وصديق العائلة الكاتب الكبير جون تروس، والدفتر البرتغالي الأزرق، وجاكوب ابن تروس، وتشانغ صاحب مكتبة قصر الورق، ويدور بنا في فلك هذه الشخصيات والأحداث ويرصد معاناتها وضياعها وبحثها عن نفسها وعن حاضرها ومستقبلها.
لشد ما أعُجبت بتقنيات السرد المُستخدمة في هذه الرواية، التي تحتوي على عدة روايات وقصص، وفكرة أخذ القرّاء إلى مرحلة صناعة الرواية، وكيف تتقاطع كل هذه الأحداث والأفكار ببعضها في صورة جمالية مُتقنة الصنع على يد روائي ماهر.
إحدى أكثر الروايات التي قرأتها احترافية في حياتي، وقد استمتعت بها بشدة، ولن تكون هذه المرة الأخيرة في قرائتي لبول أوستر.
أخيراً أعترف بالصعوبة الشديدة التي واجهتني بمجرد التفكير في كتابة مراجعة لهذه الرواية.
"إننا لا نرغب في معرفة متى سنموت أو متى سيخوننا الأشخاص الذين نحبهم، لكننا جوعى للتعرّف إلى الموتى قبل أن يصبحوا موتى، وأن نعاين الأموات ككائنات حيّة."
...
March 10, 2020
Audiobook... read by Paul Auster
This was my 3rd time listening to Auster read one of his books. His voice is distinct, engaging, natural, terrific rhythmic flow... complementing his storytelling prose.
I’m late to seriously becoming a fan... but, I’m definitely getting there.
Auster really holds my attention - so much so - I promised myself that the next Auster book I choose - I’ll read it rather than listen to him.
I have a hard time separating the entertainment value between his voice or the story itself. I like both!
We meet Sidney Orr - a novelist... and the narrator.
Sidney was recovering from a serious illness. After leaving the hospital he walks into “The Paper Palace”, a stationary store and bought a blue notebook that was made in Portugal.
He becomes obsessed it - and he begins to write again after a period of writers block.
Interesting odd things start to happen as Sid begins to write.
This is a complex story about a book of stories, ( three to be specific), within stories...connecting them to all to Sidney. ( and all the things important in his own life).
The mystery, intrigue, and descriptions kept me glued.
This is a novel but it times it felt like it was non-fiction.
Set in 1982, we follow Sydney‘s life for nine days. His marriage is threatened... coincidences happened... characters are compelling...( especially Grace, his wife)...
and we take an introspective look into the future.
For me - the greatness was the intimacy of Sidney ‘telling’ the stories. ( leaving hints of the concerns of his own life).
That old saying, “I could listen to this guy read the phone book”, applies accurately for me with Paul Auster.
This was my 3rd time listening to Auster read one of his books. His voice is distinct, engaging, natural, terrific rhythmic flow... complementing his storytelling prose.
I’m late to seriously becoming a fan... but, I’m definitely getting there.
Auster really holds my attention - so much so - I promised myself that the next Auster book I choose - I’ll read it rather than listen to him.
I have a hard time separating the entertainment value between his voice or the story itself. I like both!
We meet Sidney Orr - a novelist... and the narrator.
Sidney was recovering from a serious illness. After leaving the hospital he walks into “The Paper Palace”, a stationary store and bought a blue notebook that was made in Portugal.
He becomes obsessed it - and he begins to write again after a period of writers block.
Interesting odd things start to happen as Sid begins to write.
This is a complex story about a book of stories, ( three to be specific), within stories...connecting them to all to Sidney. ( and all the things important in his own life).
The mystery, intrigue, and descriptions kept me glued.
This is a novel but it times it felt like it was non-fiction.
Set in 1982, we follow Sydney‘s life for nine days. His marriage is threatened... coincidences happened... characters are compelling...( especially Grace, his wife)...
and we take an introspective look into the future.
For me - the greatness was the intimacy of Sidney ‘telling’ the stories. ( leaving hints of the concerns of his own life).
That old saying, “I could listen to this guy read the phone book”, applies accurately for me with Paul Auster.
January 13, 2012
Every time I start a Paul Auster book I get twenty pages into it and think,
"That's it. He's finally over stepped the mark. He's jumped from the edge of the clever cliff and into the precipice of w*nky too smart and arty for his own good literature". And then, I am always proved wrong. Sorry Paul I judge you too harshly!*
Another excellent book with the trademark Austerisms. Convoluted, random, perhaps even a little too common place at times, writhing like a bag of snakes the twists and turns had me on the ceiling and facing the wrong way before I knew it. This either means they were very good or that I am easily confused, I'll leave it to you to decide which.
*Although as a footnote (something that you seem to be all too fond of in this book), I just thought it was worth pointing out that as a personal preference it really winds me up when the footnotes are actually larger than the main text. Anyone else feel this way? Also if the footnote stretches for more than three pages and is running as a sort of contemporaneous commentary then it's probably worth just scrapping the footnotes and putting all the information into the main text... non? See, like here... I could have just put this bit of the review up there with the main part of the review but now you're down here reading this part of the review and by the time you glance back up to the main thread you'll have forgotten what I was talking about up there and be thinking about the footnote which is really just the story continued in another way. Hmmm. So is it annoying or is it just me?
"That's it. He's finally over stepped the mark. He's jumped from the edge of the clever cliff and into the precipice of w*nky too smart and arty for his own good literature". And then, I am always proved wrong. Sorry Paul I judge you too harshly!*
Another excellent book with the trademark Austerisms. Convoluted, random, perhaps even a little too common place at times, writhing like a bag of snakes the twists and turns had me on the ceiling and facing the wrong way before I knew it. This either means they were very good or that I am easily confused, I'll leave it to you to decide which.
*Although as a footnote (something that you seem to be all too fond of in this book), I just thought it was worth pointing out that as a personal preference it really winds me up when the footnotes are actually larger than the main text. Anyone else feel this way? Also if the footnote stretches for more than three pages and is running as a sort of contemporaneous commentary then it's probably worth just scrapping the footnotes and putting all the information into the main text... non? See, like here... I could have just put this bit of the review up there with the main part of the review but now you're down here reading this part of the review and by the time you glance back up to the main thread you'll have forgotten what I was talking about up there and be thinking about the footnote which is really just the story continued in another way. Hmmm. So is it annoying or is it just me?
December 4, 2022
O carte-magnet, de care nu m-am putut desprinde, așa că am citit-o în câteva ore și n-aș fi vrut să se termine.
M-a trimis înapoi la studiul lingvisticii și teoriilor comunicării, la structuralism și fantasticul lui Tzvetan Todorov și la actele de vorbire ale lui Austin, la celebra formulă "how to do things with words". Pentru că despre asta e vorba, despre puterea cuvintelor de a crea lumi, despre imaginația noastră pusă în vorbe care au forța de a crea viitorul. La propriu.
Și am regăsit tehnicile pe care le iubesc la Auster: naratorul este un scriitor care scrie o carte despre un alt personaj din lumea editoriala care scrie/descoperă/publică o carte; identitatea în (re)construcție; New Yorkul magic (e chiar supranatural sau sunt doar niște coincidențe stranii? - noi trebuie să decidem); personajele extrem de bine construite, de vii; scenele de sex atât de naturale, ne-gratuite; fluiditatea frazelor; climaxul excelent gradat; finalul satisfăcător (nu neapărat fericit, dar care rotunjește textul).
M-a trimis înapoi la studiul lingvisticii și teoriilor comunicării, la structuralism și fantasticul lui Tzvetan Todorov și la actele de vorbire ale lui Austin, la celebra formulă "how to do things with words". Pentru că despre asta e vorba, despre puterea cuvintelor de a crea lumi, despre imaginația noastră pusă în vorbe care au forța de a crea viitorul. La propriu.
Și am regăsit tehnicile pe care le iubesc la Auster: naratorul este un scriitor care scrie o carte despre un alt personaj din lumea editoriala care scrie/descoperă/publică o carte; identitatea în (re)construcție; New Yorkul magic (e chiar supranatural sau sunt doar niște coincidențe stranii? - noi trebuie să decidem); personajele extrem de bine construite, de vii; scenele de sex atât de naturale, ne-gratuite; fluiditatea frazelor; climaxul excelent gradat; finalul satisfăcător (nu neapărat fericit, dar care rotunjește textul).
September 22, 2021
CRITIQUE:
Back to Back
This novel made a good back-to-back read with Paul Auster's "The Book of Illusions".
You can normally rely on Auster to combine an interest in metafiction with an aptitude for strong story-telling, particularly in the private detective style.
Like "The Book of Illusions", "Oracle Night" embraces multiple dimensions of narrative. However, its story-telling is inferior, in comparison. In this case, Auster's preoccupation with the metafictional structure of the novel diminishes and almost conceals what little story there is - perhaps, because different aspects of the story are contained in different components of the metafiction. For some reason, the segments of the story remain disconnected and segmented, rather than becoming connected and integrated. The narrative never quite adds up to an alluring story. The story remains incoherent.
"The Book of Illusions" was tightly structured around its numbered chapters. Here, there are no chapters, just occasional breaks in the text, where Auster transitions from one segment of metafiction to another. Because each of these segments contains a different aspect of the overall story, the reader makes a transition as well. The boundary between two segments is like a magic door or portal through which the reader progresses (or regresses) into the next segment.
Nine Days in September, 1982
Auster (or the implied author of the text) frequently specifies the date of the year (or the day of the week) and the time of day. Unless you start paying attention to this practice, you mightn't realise that the novel deals primarily with a discrete period of time (nine days), although this is probably implicit in any work of fiction. Once again, the perspective is from twenty years into the future. Or these events supposedly occurred twenty years into the past.
The further the novel progresses, though, the more Auster refers to the day of the week, rather than the date of the year. Thus, he gives us less information about the overall timeframe.
It's almost as if Auster's goal was to see how much he could dismantle the narrative, and still permit a reader to detect and appreciate the overall story.
"There's a Novel in This Somewhere"
This is probably the most disparate and puzzling of Auster's metafictional projects that I've read to date. It's possible that there are just too many parts that fail to add up to a satisfying sum.
Firstly, and most obviously, there is the novel that Auster himself has written, ostensibly called "Oracle Night".
The immediate focus of Auster's novel is the writer, Sidney Orr, and his wife, Grace, a graphic designer, and their relationship with another writer, friend and father figure, John Trause (an anagram for Auster). Sid is recovering from a fall, which might or might not symbolise his sense of inadequacy about his relationship with Grace.
It's never clear whether Trause's purpose is to cement or destabilise the relationship between Sid and Grace. Sid imagines that Trause is having an affair with Grace, despite the age difference between them. The relationship between the three drifts between affection and antagonism. Still, Trause offers to "lend" one of his unpublished works ("The Empire of Bones") to Sid, so that he can use it to write a screenplay for a fee that he needs to repay his medical debts.
In order to start his new project, Sid purchases a blue notebook made in Portugal at a stationery store called "Paper Palace". The owner is a Chinese man, M. R. Chang, whom Sid encounters in various contexts that test his commitment to his writing project, his fidelity to Grace and his ability to defend himself physically. Sid suffers from a troubled or guilty conscience about his frailty and vulnerability to temptation, even if it occurs solely in his imagination.
"The Plot Was Too Cerebral"(1)
At the suggestion of his agent, Sid also writes a treatment for a film based on H.G. Wells' novel,"The Time Machine". Sid regards his work as "a piece of shit...pure rubbish...fantasy drek of the lowest order, but it felt like a possible movie to me." Unfortunately, for him, the treatment is rejected, because "the plot was too cerebral," an assessment that could equally apply to much of Auster's work.
On the other hand, Trause prompts Sid to write a novel based on the Flitcraft parable (2) told in Dashiell Hammett's "The Maltese Falcon". Hammett inferred from this story that "men died at haphazard, and lived only while blind chance spared them."
Trause suggests, "There's a novel in this somewhere...It's a terrific premise. All you need is a story to go with it."
"All You Need is a Story to Go with It"
Sid's novel aims to supply the story. It's about a couple called Nick and Eva Bowen, whose relationship mirrors that of Sid and Grace.
In this novel within a novel, Nick (a literary agent) receives and reads the manuscript for a novel called "Oracle Night" (a novel within a novel within a novel), which was written by the fictional Sylvia Maxwell, a supposedly popular writer in the twenties and thirties. The protagonist is Lemuel Flagg, a British lieutenant blinded by a mortar explosion in the trenches of World War I. Like Sid, he is nursed back to health, until he falls in love with a woman and proposes marriage to her. He predicts that the marriage is doomed, and eventually commits suicide.
This is just one of several stories that approaches soap opera in form and content.
While walking along the street, Nick narrowly avoids being struck on the head by a falling gargoyle, which replicates part of the Flitcraft parable/episode.
Soon after, Nick travels to Kansas City for a break from Eva, where he encounters a cab driver called Ed Victory (Johnson), who accidentally locks him in an underground bunker he uses to store old phone books (one of which, from Warsaw, contains entries for Sid's Polish family name, Orlovsky). This sub-story seems to be overlooked, because at the end of the main novel, Nick is still locked in the bunker awaiting his death. Sid hasn't resolved how to end the story convincingly.
Haphazard Construction
Nevertheless, Auster places all of these ingredients in a literary bowl and stirs them until something tenable emerges, as if by chance:
I'm tempted to agree with Trause that "there's a novel in this somewhere," even if it seems to be largely haphazard, and it's not readily identifiable on the pages of the book.
FOOTNOTES:
(1) Some of the many footnotes were spread over four pages, and could equally have been included in the body of the text. I've never really understood the appeal of this post-modernist affectation.
(2) The Flitcraft parable:
http://unfutz.blogspot.com/2006/11/30...
http://fallingbeam.org/beam.htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJ66a...
https://tacomahistory.live/2016/08/08...
https://tacomahistory.live/2016/02/18...
Maureen's Review of "The Maltese Falcon"
My review of "The Maltese Falcon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKcZa...
SOUNDTRACK:
Back to Back
This novel made a good back-to-back read with Paul Auster's "The Book of Illusions".
You can normally rely on Auster to combine an interest in metafiction with an aptitude for strong story-telling, particularly in the private detective style.
Like "The Book of Illusions", "Oracle Night" embraces multiple dimensions of narrative. However, its story-telling is inferior, in comparison. In this case, Auster's preoccupation with the metafictional structure of the novel diminishes and almost conceals what little story there is - perhaps, because different aspects of the story are contained in different components of the metafiction. For some reason, the segments of the story remain disconnected and segmented, rather than becoming connected and integrated. The narrative never quite adds up to an alluring story. The story remains incoherent.
"The Book of Illusions" was tightly structured around its numbered chapters. Here, there are no chapters, just occasional breaks in the text, where Auster transitions from one segment of metafiction to another. Because each of these segments contains a different aspect of the overall story, the reader makes a transition as well. The boundary between two segments is like a magic door or portal through which the reader progresses (or regresses) into the next segment.
Nine Days in September, 1982
Auster (or the implied author of the text) frequently specifies the date of the year (or the day of the week) and the time of day. Unless you start paying attention to this practice, you mightn't realise that the novel deals primarily with a discrete period of time (nine days), although this is probably implicit in any work of fiction. Once again, the perspective is from twenty years into the future. Or these events supposedly occurred twenty years into the past.
The further the novel progresses, though, the more Auster refers to the day of the week, rather than the date of the year. Thus, he gives us less information about the overall timeframe.
It's almost as if Auster's goal was to see how much he could dismantle the narrative, and still permit a reader to detect and appreciate the overall story.
"There's a Novel in This Somewhere"
This is probably the most disparate and puzzling of Auster's metafictional projects that I've read to date. It's possible that there are just too many parts that fail to add up to a satisfying sum.
Firstly, and most obviously, there is the novel that Auster himself has written, ostensibly called "Oracle Night".
The immediate focus of Auster's novel is the writer, Sidney Orr, and his wife, Grace, a graphic designer, and their relationship with another writer, friend and father figure, John Trause (an anagram for Auster). Sid is recovering from a fall, which might or might not symbolise his sense of inadequacy about his relationship with Grace.
It's never clear whether Trause's purpose is to cement or destabilise the relationship between Sid and Grace. Sid imagines that Trause is having an affair with Grace, despite the age difference between them. The relationship between the three drifts between affection and antagonism. Still, Trause offers to "lend" one of his unpublished works ("The Empire of Bones") to Sid, so that he can use it to write a screenplay for a fee that he needs to repay his medical debts.
In order to start his new project, Sid purchases a blue notebook made in Portugal at a stationery store called "Paper Palace". The owner is a Chinese man, M. R. Chang, whom Sid encounters in various contexts that test his commitment to his writing project, his fidelity to Grace and his ability to defend himself physically. Sid suffers from a troubled or guilty conscience about his frailty and vulnerability to temptation, even if it occurs solely in his imagination.
"The Plot Was Too Cerebral"(1)
At the suggestion of his agent, Sid also writes a treatment for a film based on H.G. Wells' novel,"The Time Machine". Sid regards his work as "a piece of shit...pure rubbish...fantasy drek of the lowest order, but it felt like a possible movie to me." Unfortunately, for him, the treatment is rejected, because "the plot was too cerebral," an assessment that could equally apply to much of Auster's work.
On the other hand, Trause prompts Sid to write a novel based on the Flitcraft parable (2) told in Dashiell Hammett's "The Maltese Falcon". Hammett inferred from this story that "men died at haphazard, and lived only while blind chance spared them."
Trause suggests, "There's a novel in this somewhere...It's a terrific premise. All you need is a story to go with it."
"All You Need is a Story to Go with It"
Sid's novel aims to supply the story. It's about a couple called Nick and Eva Bowen, whose relationship mirrors that of Sid and Grace.
In this novel within a novel, Nick (a literary agent) receives and reads the manuscript for a novel called "Oracle Night" (a novel within a novel within a novel), which was written by the fictional Sylvia Maxwell, a supposedly popular writer in the twenties and thirties. The protagonist is Lemuel Flagg, a British lieutenant blinded by a mortar explosion in the trenches of World War I. Like Sid, he is nursed back to health, until he falls in love with a woman and proposes marriage to her. He predicts that the marriage is doomed, and eventually commits suicide.
This is just one of several stories that approaches soap opera in form and content.
While walking along the street, Nick narrowly avoids being struck on the head by a falling gargoyle, which replicates part of the Flitcraft parable/episode.
Soon after, Nick travels to Kansas City for a break from Eva, where he encounters a cab driver called Ed Victory (Johnson), who accidentally locks him in an underground bunker he uses to store old phone books (one of which, from Warsaw, contains entries for Sid's Polish family name, Orlovsky). This sub-story seems to be overlooked, because at the end of the main novel, Nick is still locked in the bunker awaiting his death. Sid hasn't resolved how to end the story convincingly.
Haphazard Construction
Nevertheless, Auster places all of these ingredients in a literary bowl and stirs them until something tenable emerges, as if by chance:
"The world is governed by chance. Randomness stalks us every day of our lives, and those lives can be taken from us at any moment - for no reason at all."
I'm tempted to agree with Trause that "there's a novel in this somewhere," even if it seems to be largely haphazard, and it's not readily identifiable on the pages of the book.
FOOTNOTES:
(1) Some of the many footnotes were spread over four pages, and could equally have been included in the body of the text. I've never really understood the appeal of this post-modernist affectation.
(2) The Flitcraft parable:
http://unfutz.blogspot.com/2006/11/30...
http://fallingbeam.org/beam.htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJ66a...
https://tacomahistory.live/2016/08/08...
https://tacomahistory.live/2016/02/18...
Maureen's Review of "The Maltese Falcon"
My review of "The Maltese Falcon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKcZa...
SOUNDTRACK:
May 11, 2024
Nu știu sigur dacă Paul Auster ar mai fi fost nevoit să scrie. Își compusese deja marile opere. Acum, pare că o face doar pentru a se (a ne) distra. Un maestru al intrigii cvasi-polițiste. Al povestirilor paralele și întretăiate. Al romanului în roman, al romanului despre scrierea unui roman. Etc.
Am citit și cartea asta, dezinteresat de deznodământ, din simplă și indispensabilă plăcere Și de-ar fi avut dublul paginilor pe care le are. Nu pleci niciodată (sau foarte rar) cu pofta-n cui, după vreo întâlnire cu Auster.
Am citit și cartea asta, dezinteresat de deznodământ, din simplă și indispensabilă plăcere Și de-ar fi avut dublul paginilor pe care le are. Nu pleci niciodată (sau foarte rar) cu pofta-n cui, după vreo întâlnire cu Auster.
June 18, 2023
Poveste in poveste in poveste, asa te poarta Auster, fara sa poti lasa cartea din mana, te lasa mut de uimire, cata imaginatie are si ce bine povesteste, nu ma mai satur de el !
Frazele curg, nimic fortat in exprimare, te tarasc ca intr-un vartej unde simti admiratie, bucurie, adrenalina, in plus, sunt atatea aspecte care te pun pe ganduri.
Frazele curg, nimic fortat in exprimare, te tarasc ca intr-un vartej unde simti admiratie, bucurie, adrenalina, in plus, sunt atatea aspecte care te pun pe ganduri.
February 24, 2023
ჯერ კიდევ “ილუზიების წიგნის” ტყვეობაში ვარ, მაგრამ ძალიან კარგი იყო ესეც! ❤️ და ძალიან მიხარია, რომ ოსტერის ბევრი წიგნი დამრჩა წასაკითხი. :))
March 29, 2020
არ არსებობს ისეთი პერიოდი, ოსტერს რომ არ შეემსუბუქებინოს. აღარ ვიცი რა რიგითობით დავალაგო მისი წიგნები. რაც წამიკითხავს ყველა საოცრად მიყვარს. იმით დავიწყებ, რომ ამ წიგნს ძალიან დიდი ხანი ვეძებდი, ერთადერთი იყო შემორჩენილი რაც არ მქონდა წაკითხული და აი, ძლივს, საბას დახმარებით მერგო ეს ბედნიერება. (როგორც კი ხელახლა დაბეჭდავენ, კოლექციას შევმატებ)
ალბათ, ახალსაც ვერაფერს ვიტყვი. ხელახლა თუ აღვნიშნავ, რაც არ მომბეზრდება, რომ ეს კაცი არის გენიალური. მიყვარს მისი წერის სტილი, ბურუსში გახვეული პერსონაჟები, ჩახლართული ფლოთი და უორიგინალურესი ნარატივის ზეიმი. საოცრად გამოსდის მკი���ხველის ინტერესის შენარჩუნება, არასდროს მბეზრდება კითხვის პროცესი. ამასთან, ხშირად ვხვდები ალუზიას მის სხვა წიგნებთან: უცნაური ტელეფონის ნომერი, რომელიც კლებადი ციფრებით შედგება (4 3 2 1 ?!), ისევ და ისევ ნიუ იორკი, ისევ და ისევ ბრუკლინი. მოკლედ, ოსტერიზმით შეპყრობილს, რომ მიმიშვა, შემიძლია საათობით ვისაუბრო ამ კაცზე. მიყვარს მიყვარს და მიყვარს.
ალბათ, ახალსაც ვერაფერს ვიტყვი. ხელახლა თუ აღვნიშნავ, რაც არ მომბეზრდება, რომ ეს კაცი არის გენიალური. მიყვარს მისი წერის სტილი, ბურუსში გახვეული პერსონაჟები, ჩახლართული ფლოთი და უორიგინალურესი ნარატივის ზეიმი. საოცრად გამოსდის მკი���ხველის ინტერესის შენარჩუნება, არასდროს მბეზრდება კითხვის პროცესი. ამასთან, ხშირად ვხვდები ალუზიას მის სხვა წიგნებთან: უცნაური ტელეფონის ნომერი, რომელიც კლებადი ციფრებით შედგება (4 3 2 1 ?!), ისევ და ისევ ნიუ იორკი, ისევ და ისევ ბრუკლინი. მოკლედ, ოსტერიზმით შეპყრობილს, რომ მიმიშვა, შემიძლია საათობით ვისაუბრო ამ კაცზე. მიყვარს მიყვარს და მიყვარს.
June 22, 2022
4.5 *
E atat de curgatoare povestea, imbinata perfect cu toate celelalte povesti tip carte in carte, incat am citit-o pe nerasuflate.
Inca un roman marca Auster, care m-a delectat, despre neprevazutul ascuns in cotidian si despre compromisuri ce devin bombe cu ceas, cand te astepti mai putin. Despre fantastica putere a cuvintelor de a schimba vieti, de a crea pe viu dramele ce initial erau doar in minte si apoi pe hartie.
Am mai spus ca Paul Auster e magician neintrecut si nu se dezminte nici acum.
E atat de curgatoare povestea, imbinata perfect cu toate celelalte povesti tip carte in carte, incat am citit-o pe nerasuflate.
Inca un roman marca Auster, care m-a delectat, despre neprevazutul ascuns in cotidian si despre compromisuri ce devin bombe cu ceas, cand te astepti mai putin. Despre fantastica putere a cuvintelor de a schimba vieti, de a crea pe viu dramele ce initial erau doar in minte si apoi pe hartie.
Am mai spus ca Paul Auster e magician neintrecut si nu se dezminte nici acum.
October 1, 2007
Through the entire story I had the feeling I was on the verge of stumbling on the meat of it, but it never happened. I stuck with it hoping for even a line that would satisfy the "on-the-verge" feeling, but by the last line on the last page, I realized it wasn't coming. Maybe I'm too dense to really get the underlying substance of this book, but believe me, I was looking for it.
March 21, 2021
ساده ،روان و جذاب سه تا کلمه ای که میخوام برای این کتاب به کار ببرم
تو صفحه به صفحه اش حرفی برای گفتن داشت
من این کتابو دوست داشتم و اینو میشد از سرعت خوندنم فهمید :)
تو صفحه به صفحه اش حرفی برای گفتن داشت
من این کتابو دوست داشتم و اینو میشد از سرعت خوندنم فهمید :)
Read
December 9, 2011Oracle Night seems like one of Auster's more perfunctory novels. There is the usual blend of a narrator getting over some big personal tragedy, reflections on the power of language (writing especially in this case), recurring coincidences, a female love interest in trouble, etc. The opening conceit of the blank notebook and Sid's need to fill it has this really interesting, ominous vibe going to it. But Auster doesn't seem all that committed to really diving into it, and by the end of the book it felt like little more than a forgotten pretext to set the whole narrative up instead of an organic development within the story. There are some really nice passages though, and it's interesting to read one of his books that has a decidedly more domestic kind of feel to it than a lot of his other work. But the ending feels rushed, and the whole strung-out-son-of-a-family-friend who suddenly pops up to wreak havoc in everyone's lives feels kind of like a cheap deus ex machina. I'd expect that kind of weak stuff from someone's first novel, not their umpteenth.
October 11, 2010
رواية داخل رواية
عندما تقرأ لأول مرة لبول أوستر لا يسعك بعد ذلك إلا البحث عن مجمل أعماله..متعة فائقة أن أتقرأ لكاتب يحترم عقليتك و يضع ذكاءك موضع المسائلة و الإختبار كأنه داخل إلى متاهة ذهنية و يريدك أن تعمل على حل عقدها و التكهن بالخطوة القادمة التى لن تقدر على التنبؤ بها أو حتى التفكير فيها..دائما توقعات صادمة تنهش فى لحم الحقيقة لتعرى ما هو مختفٍ تحتها
الرواية قائمة على تداعى السرد و تشابك الأزمنة و التقل فيما بينها من الماضى للحاضر و المستقبل و بالعكس ، و تداخل حياة الراوى- الذى يعمل بالأساس كاتب قصة- مع الشخصية التى يقوم بتخيلها و التى طيلة قراءتك للرواية تتساءل أيهما الحقيقى الرواى/ الكاتب/الشخصية المتخيلة..بينهما دائما نقاط إلتقاء فى الحياة و فى التفكير و فى المفردات المادية و المعنوية التى تشكل عالميهما
تحكى الرواية عن كاتب يدعى"سدنى أولا" و الذى أصابه حادث فكان على شفا الموت ..و قام من موته ليكتب قصة فى دفتر أزرق صنع برتغالى كان له الأثر الفعال فى تغيير منحى القصة من آن لآخر...يكتب عن شخصية كانت سابقاً بطلة فى رواية"الصقر المالطى" لكاتب آخر إسمه داشيل هامت..مع تحوير فى الصفات الجسمانية و كذلك الحياة الإجتماعية غير أن الذى يربط بينهما هو حادث سقوط جسم هائل من أعلى بناية يمر من تحتها فكاد أن يسقط عليه لولا تفاديه و إصابته بجروح طفيفة.كان لهذا الحادث أثره عليه بعد ذلك فى تساؤلاته عن الموت العشوائى و الغير منظم و تتابع أسئلة الكثيرة عن معنى الحياة و الوجود
ضمن الرواية يحاول أيضاً الكاتي"بول أوستر" أن يعطينا فكرة عن التكنيكات المتبعة فى كتابة قصة..الخيط الأول، أول كلمة، تداعى الأفكار و التحكم الواعى بها..إعادة التنسيق و البناء المادى و المعنوى للشخصية
هى رواية محيرة و مثيرة و تشد الأنفاس نظرا لكتابتها بطريقة سرد بوليسية تعطيك إنطباعا أنك تعيش فى عالم فنتازى لا واقعى و لا منطقى و غير مارابط و لا يمت لحياتنا الواقعية فى شىء ..لكنك تقع فى مغالطة كبيرة إن تيقنت من هذا
عندما تقرأ لأول مرة لبول أوستر لا يسعك بعد ذلك إلا البحث عن مجمل أعماله..متعة فائقة أن أتقرأ لكاتب يحترم عقليتك و يضع ذكاءك موضع المسائلة و الإختبار كأنه داخل إلى متاهة ذهنية و يريدك أن تعمل على حل عقدها و التكهن بالخطوة القادمة التى لن تقدر على التنبؤ بها أو حتى التفكير فيها..دائما توقعات صادمة تنهش فى لحم الحقيقة لتعرى ما هو مختفٍ تحتها
الرواية قائمة على تداعى السرد و تشابك الأزمنة و التقل فيما بينها من الماضى للحاضر و المستقبل و بالعكس ، و تداخل حياة الراوى- الذى يعمل بالأساس كاتب قصة- مع الشخصية التى يقوم بتخيلها و التى طيلة قراءتك للرواية تتساءل أيهما الحقيقى الرواى/ الكاتب/الشخصية المتخيلة..بينهما دائما نقاط إلتقاء فى الحياة و فى التفكير و فى المفردات المادية و المعنوية التى تشكل عالميهما
تحكى الرواية عن كاتب يدعى"سدنى أولا" و الذى أصابه حادث فكان على شفا الموت ..و قام من موته ليكتب قصة فى دفتر أزرق صنع برتغالى كان له الأثر الفعال فى تغيير منحى القصة من آن لآخر...يكتب عن شخصية كانت سابقاً بطلة فى رواية"الصقر المالطى" لكاتب آخر إسمه داشيل هامت..مع تحوير فى الصفات الجسمانية و كذلك الحياة الإجتماعية غير أن الذى يربط بينهما هو حادث سقوط جسم هائل من أعلى بناية يمر من تحتها فكاد أن يسقط عليه لولا تفاديه و إصابته بجروح طفيفة.كان لهذا الحادث أثره عليه بعد ذلك فى تساؤلاته عن الموت العشوائى و الغير منظم و تتابع أسئلة الكثيرة عن معنى الحياة و الوجود
ضمن الرواية يحاول أيضاً الكاتي"بول أوستر" أن يعطينا فكرة عن التكنيكات المتبعة فى كتابة قصة..الخيط الأول، أول كلمة، تداعى الأفكار و التحكم الواعى بها..إعادة التنسيق و البناء المادى و المعنوى للشخصية
هى رواية محيرة و مثيرة و تشد الأنفاس نظرا لكتابتها بطريقة سرد بوليسية تعطيك إنطباعا أنك تعيش فى عالم فنتازى لا واقعى و لا منطقى و غير مارابط و لا يمت لحياتنا الواقعية فى شىء ..لكنك تقع فى مغالطة كبيرة إن تيقنت من هذا
September 18, 2016
"Finché sogni, c'è sempre scampo".
Dopo un incidente a cui è riuscito miracolosamente a sopravvivere, Sidney Orr ricomincia, con un po' di fatica, a scrivere.
Grazie a un taccuino blu, proveniente dal Portogallo, e che sembra avere poteri magici, comincia a svilupparsi la trama di questo romanzo di Auster.
Con La notte dell'oracolo di Auster, si entra nel meta-romanzo, un romanzo nel romanzo in cui confluiscono diverse storie. Da un lato, la storia privata di Sidney e del suo matrimonio con la moglie Grace e dall'altro quella di Sidney scrittore e delle varie vicende che si intrecciano e prendono forma.
Qui sono presenti alcune delle tematiche tipiche dei libri dell'autore: l'amore, il tradimento, la bellezza della scrittura come rimedio ai propri mali, come salvezza e la bellezza della scrittura intesa come ritorno alla vita.
Paul Auster trascina il lettore in una vicenda in cui finzione e realtà si mescolano, dove il protagonista assume il ruolo di investigatore per scoprire una realtà e una verità molto più forte del romanzo che sta scrivendo e di qualsiasi oracolo.
Dopo un incidente a cui è riuscito miracolosamente a sopravvivere, Sidney Orr ricomincia, con un po' di fatica, a scrivere.
Grazie a un taccuino blu, proveniente dal Portogallo, e che sembra avere poteri magici, comincia a svilupparsi la trama di questo romanzo di Auster.
Con La notte dell'oracolo di Auster, si entra nel meta-romanzo, un romanzo nel romanzo in cui confluiscono diverse storie. Da un lato, la storia privata di Sidney e del suo matrimonio con la moglie Grace e dall'altro quella di Sidney scrittore e delle varie vicende che si intrecciano e prendono forma.
Qui sono presenti alcune delle tematiche tipiche dei libri dell'autore: l'amore, il tradimento, la bellezza della scrittura come rimedio ai propri mali, come salvezza e la bellezza della scrittura intesa come ritorno alla vita.
Paul Auster trascina il lettore in una vicenda in cui finzione e realtà si mescolano, dove il protagonista assume il ruolo di investigatore per scoprire una realtà e una verità molto più forte del romanzo che sta scrivendo e di qualsiasi oracolo.
January 9, 2024
برخلاف بقیه‌ی کتاب‌های پل استر اینو دوست نداشتم...
March 7, 2019
رواية رائعة بحق
بول أوستر روائي متفرد, يكتب بأسلوب مراوغ وجاذب للقارئ
يمزج في رواياته عناصر واقعية بعناصر شبه غرائبية ويغلفها بغموض ساحر مستعيراً تقنيات الكتابة البوليسية في روايات هي ليست كذلك
يدير شخصياته ببراعة فائقة ضمن أحداث قد تبدو غير منطقية أحياناً ولكنها قابلة للتصديق وهذه قمة البراعة
روائي مجدّد ومبتكر, بارع في التقنيات الروائية وأستاذ في البناء الروائي
رواية ممتعة ومحكمة وتقرأ أكثر من مرة
بول أوستر روائي متفرد, يكتب بأسلوب مراوغ وجاذب للقارئ
يمزج في رواياته عناصر واقعية بعناصر شبه غرائبية ويغلفها بغموض ساحر مستعيراً تقنيات الكتابة البوليسية في روايات هي ليست كذلك
يدير شخصياته ببراعة فائقة ضمن أحداث قد تبدو غير منطقية أحياناً ولكنها قابلة للتصديق وهذه قمة البراعة
روائي مجدّد ومبتكر, بارع في التقنيات الروائية وأستاذ في البناء الروائي
رواية ممتعة ومحكمة وتقرأ أكثر من مرة
August 29, 2024
This is an extraordinary book, which made me want to read more novels by Paul Auster. (It is his 11th novel.) It is dream-like and unsettling, with echoes of earlier stories that you just can't grasp. Very inventive.
July 13, 2020
I read one of Paul Auster’s works, The New York Trilogy, a few years back, enjoyed it immensely, and it was good to get back to reading him again. I think what Auster manages to do in both of the works I’ve read is create a sense of layers of meaning in both the real world and the literary world (the one being written on paper). Both in The Trilogy and Oracle Night, there’s a sense of metacognition or thinking about thinking, or thinking and reflection on the world. Events, people, conflict play out and have many layers to them. In short, he is an author that makes you think and that is what I’ve loved about reading his books so far.
I will have to do the calculations, but I think Auster’s book might at some points cross over into a “story within a story within a story.” We have Paul Auster writing about his protagonist Sidney Orr, a writer who is working on a manuscript about a man named Nick Bowen who, in this book, is focused on reading the writings of Sylvia Maxwell, an author who has written Oracle Night. Auster manages to intertwine all of these elements and blend them into one engaging plot, and, at points, the plot of the writings bleed into the real life aspects of the story.
It’s really hard to go into particulars about plot with a Paul Auster novel, because sometimes I think that the story or meaning under the surface is far more impressionable and meaningful that the surface level plot. However, to give some context, Oracle Night’s premise involves novelist Sydney Orr having recently been released from the hospital after overcoming a near fatal illness, and his transition back into life with his wife and his friend, an author named John. There’s an interesting scene where Orr visits a stationary shop and buys a blue notebook and this sort of becomes his inspiration to begin to draft a story. There are many parallels to the story he is devising and his real life, and certain things seem to take on a life of their own.
Within Auster’s work, there are certain elements that the author investigates, one of which is the element of how future events work. In many ways, Oracle Night is a mediation on life and its struggles, and how quite often the literary and literal world aren’t as far apart as we imagine.
There are many layers to this novel, and this is a book that will have you reflecting after you read the final page, which I think is the hallmark of an engaging and thoughtful book.
I will have to do the calculations, but I think Auster’s book might at some points cross over into a “story within a story within a story.” We have Paul Auster writing about his protagonist Sidney Orr, a writer who is working on a manuscript about a man named Nick Bowen who, in this book, is focused on reading the writings of Sylvia Maxwell, an author who has written Oracle Night. Auster manages to intertwine all of these elements and blend them into one engaging plot, and, at points, the plot of the writings bleed into the real life aspects of the story.
It’s really hard to go into particulars about plot with a Paul Auster novel, because sometimes I think that the story or meaning under the surface is far more impressionable and meaningful that the surface level plot. However, to give some context, Oracle Night’s premise involves novelist Sydney Orr having recently been released from the hospital after overcoming a near fatal illness, and his transition back into life with his wife and his friend, an author named John. There’s an interesting scene where Orr visits a stationary shop and buys a blue notebook and this sort of becomes his inspiration to begin to draft a story. There are many parallels to the story he is devising and his real life, and certain things seem to take on a life of their own.
Within Auster’s work, there are certain elements that the author investigates, one of which is the element of how future events work. In many ways, Oracle Night is a mediation on life and its struggles, and how quite often the literary and literal world aren’t as far apart as we imagine.
There are many layers to this novel, and this is a book that will have you reflecting after you read the final page, which I think is the hallmark of an engaging and thoughtful book.
September 9, 2021
Shall I change the stars I've given this book about 10 years ago because I enjoyed it even more this time? Is it the story or me that has changed?? The changes I've been through these past 10 years must be enormous as I totally connected with the book in a totally different way this time. I love the way Auster puts things, and I even love more how the things unfold gradually throughout the story. No doubt he is one of the greatest authors I have read.
I will try reading this magical novel when I'm turning 40 to see how it goes then.
I will try reading this magical novel when I'm turning 40 to see how it goes then.
February 25, 2017
'If you have never read Auster before,' proclaims a quote displayed on the cover of this edition of Oracle Night, 'this is the place to start.' I hadn't read Auster before beginning this book, but I'd been meaning to for a while - especially since I've now read three of his wife (Siri Hustvedt)'s books and have gathered that their work ie very similar in style and theme. I wasn't out looking for an Auster book, I was just browsing at the library, but when I spotted it, the intriguing summary and that quote were good enough for me.
Oracle Night is short, but packed with detail. It's a multi-layered story, beginning with Sidney Orr - a novelist who is recovering from a severe illness - buying a unique Portuguese notebook in a rather odd stationery store. On the recommendation of his friend, also a novelist, Sidney begins to flesh out an idea for a story concerning a man who suffers a near-death experience and impulsively leaves his wife and home, resolving to start his life anew in a different city. The narrative follows both the progression of this tale and its protagonist Nick Bowen, and the 'real' story of Sidney, whose relationship with his wife Grace (the history of which is detailed in a number of footnotes) begins to flounder soon after he acquires the notebook. Meanwhile, Sidney attempts to re-write HG Wells' The Time Machine as a modern film script, turning it into an unconventional romance, and the Nick narrative also has a further strand wherein the character is profoundly affected by the contents of a lost manuscript, the title of which is Oracle Night. Like I said, multi-layered.
There are definitely elements of the weird about this story - the disappearance and relocation of the Paper Palace and its enigmatic proprietor, the 'powers' of the notebook - but it isn't a paranormal or fantasy novel. This really appealed to me - I love the combination of literary prose and hints of the unexplained. I also LOVED the writing. It is very like Hustvedt's, though it's also quite easy to tell the difference. Despite all the intricacies of the plot, it often seems secondary to the way the story is told, the ideas it explores. There are parallels galore and the book often touches on the relationship between fiction and reality and/or language and action.
I'd have liked this book to be longer (and it easily could have been), but overall it was a fantastic read which piqued my interest in Auster enough for me to go straight on to another of his books - The New York Trilogy - after finishing it.
Oracle Night is short, but packed with detail. It's a multi-layered story, beginning with Sidney Orr - a novelist who is recovering from a severe illness - buying a unique Portuguese notebook in a rather odd stationery store. On the recommendation of his friend, also a novelist, Sidney begins to flesh out an idea for a story concerning a man who suffers a near-death experience and impulsively leaves his wife and home, resolving to start his life anew in a different city. The narrative follows both the progression of this tale and its protagonist Nick Bowen, and the 'real' story of Sidney, whose relationship with his wife Grace (the history of which is detailed in a number of footnotes) begins to flounder soon after he acquires the notebook. Meanwhile, Sidney attempts to re-write HG Wells' The Time Machine as a modern film script, turning it into an unconventional romance, and the Nick narrative also has a further strand wherein the character is profoundly affected by the contents of a lost manuscript, the title of which is Oracle Night. Like I said, multi-layered.
There are definitely elements of the weird about this story - the disappearance and relocation of the Paper Palace and its enigmatic proprietor, the 'powers' of the notebook - but it isn't a paranormal or fantasy novel. This really appealed to me - I love the combination of literary prose and hints of the unexplained. I also LOVED the writing. It is very like Hustvedt's, though it's also quite easy to tell the difference. Despite all the intricacies of the plot, it often seems secondary to the way the story is told, the ideas it explores. There are parallels galore and the book often touches on the relationship between fiction and reality and/or language and action.
I'd have liked this book to be longer (and it easily could have been), but overall it was a fantastic read which piqued my interest in Auster enough for me to go straight on to another of his books - The New York Trilogy - after finishing it.
May 8, 2012
The story was confusing,the end upset me,and i feel depressed after finishing it....may be it wasn't the right time for me to read it...
the part about his mysterious blue notebook,and how it give Sidney Auster's protagonist,some kind of power over his writing.... and it's effective impact in changing the direction of the story from time to time, was the only interesting thing .....
"Those notebooks are very friendly, but they can also be cruel, and you have to watch out you don't get lost in them," warns Trause.
the part about his mysterious blue notebook,and how it give Sidney Auster's protagonist,some kind of power over his writing.... and it's effective impact in changing the direction of the story from time to time, was the only interesting thing .....
"Those notebooks are very friendly, but they can also be cruel, and you have to watch out you don't get lost in them," warns Trause.
June 26, 2015
To Auster-ικό λογοτεχνικό σύμπαν είναι -όπως πάντα- πολύ καλά δομημένο. Εξαιρετική σκιαγράφηση των χαρακτήρων, με το σύνηθες "ομιχλώδες τοπίο" να πλανάται πάνω από τα κίνητρα και τις πράξεις τους, χωρίς να αποκαλύπτονται τελικά όλες οι πτυχές της προσωπικότητας τους.
Ο Auster καταφέρνει με μοναδικό τρόπο να "υφαίνει" μικρές ιστορίες και περιστατικά φαινομενικά ασήμαντα σε σχέση με την κύρια πλοκή και μέσα σε αυτά να "φυτεύει" ιδιαίτερα και σημαντικά νοήματα που θέλει να περάσει στον αναγνώστη.
Δεν μπορώ να το εξηγήσω παραπάνω, αυτός ο τρόπος γραφής δεν είναι τίποτα λιγότερο από εθιστικός.
Ο Auster καταφέρνει με μοναδικό τρόπο να "υφαίνει" μικρές ιστορίες και περιστατικά φαινομενικά ασήμαντα σε σχέση με την κύρια πλοκή και μέσα σε αυτά να "φυτεύει" ιδιαίτερα και σημαντικά νοήματα που θέλει να περάσει στον αναγνώστη.
Δεν μπορώ να το εξηγήσω παραπάνω, αυτός ο τρόπος γραφής δεν είναι τίποτα λιγότερο από εθιστικός.
July 12, 2020
A volte conosciamo le cose prima che succedano anche se non ne siamo consapevoli. Viviamo nel presente, ma il futuro è dentro di noi in ogni momento.
L'incipit è intrigante
Ero stato malato per molto tempo . Il giorno in cui lasciai l’ospedale camminavo a fatica e quasi non ricordavo più chi avrei dovuto essere. Usi la volontà, mi disse il medico, e in tre o quattro mesi tornerà come prima. Non gli credetti, ma seguii lo stesso il suo consiglio. Mi avevano dato per morto, e ora che avevo smentito i pronostici evitando misteriosamente di morire, che scelta mi restava se non vivere come se mi aspettasse una vita futura?
Paul Auster con La notte dell'oracolo ci regala una storia nella storia
nella storia ,un gioco di specchi, riverberi
un romanzo-matriosKa magnetico , avvincente, una scrittura fluida, raffinata , in sottofondo l'intrigante musica del caso
coglievo un'inaudita assenza di lotta interna, un equilibrio della mente che sembrava esentarla dai soliti conflitti e dalle solite pressioni della vita moderna: il dubbio di sé, l'invidia, il sarcasmo, il bisogno di giudicare gli altri, o di svalutarli, il dolore infuocato e intollerabile dell'ambizione personale. Grace era giovane ,ma aveva un'anima antica e navigata [..]fu di questo che mi innamorai : del senso di calma che l'avvolgeva, del radioso silenzio che ardeva in lei
4 stelle piene
L'incipit è intrigante
Ero stato malato per molto tempo . Il giorno in cui lasciai l’ospedale camminavo a fatica e quasi non ricordavo più chi avrei dovuto essere. Usi la volontà, mi disse il medico, e in tre o quattro mesi tornerà come prima. Non gli credetti, ma seguii lo stesso il suo consiglio. Mi avevano dato per morto, e ora che avevo smentito i pronostici evitando misteriosamente di morire, che scelta mi restava se non vivere come se mi aspettasse una vita futura?
Paul Auster con La notte dell'oracolo ci regala una storia nella storia
nella storia ,un gioco di specchi, riverberi
un romanzo-matriosKa magnetico , avvincente, una scrittura fluida, raffinata , in sottofondo l'intrigante musica del caso
coglievo un'inaudita assenza di lotta interna, un equilibrio della mente che sembrava esentarla dai soliti conflitti e dalle solite pressioni della vita moderna: il dubbio di sé, l'invidia, il sarcasmo, il bisogno di giudicare gli altri, o di svalutarli, il dolore infuocato e intollerabile dell'ambizione personale. Grace era giovane ,ma aveva un'anima antica e navigata [..]fu di questo che mi innamorai : del senso di calma che l'avvolgeva, del radioso silenzio che ardeva in lei
4 stelle piene
August 10, 2015
راستش، اومدم که دو بدم. ولی نحوه‌ی گره‌گشایی ِ قسمت‌های پایانی ِ داستان، اون‌قد حرفه‌ای و شوکّه‌کننده و غیر‌منتظره بود که گفتم دو براش نهایت ِ نامردیمو می‌رسونه. داستان، واقعاً هدف و حرفای خیلی خیلی خوبی داش.. اون‌قد خوب که ازین‌دس کتابا باس خیلی نوش و تمومی ندارن.. امّا شاید همین‌هدف‌های زیاد و البتّه داستانهای زیادی که تو همین یه‌داستان به‌طرز آشکار و نهان پرداخته شده بودن، کار ِ نویسنده رو سخت کرده بود. برای همین، داستان نظم نداش و گسیختگیش می‌تونس یه‌خواننده‌ی کم‌طاقتـو از ادامه‌دادنش منصرف کنه. امّا واقعاً چل- پنجا صفحه‌ی آخر، حرفه‌ای و تأثیرگذار بود. و حالا می‌فهمم چرا نویسنده همه‌ی ضربه‌ها و حربه‌هاشو نیگه داش واسه پایان داستان. نهایت تعلیقـو این‌جا می‌شه دید.
و در ضمن، شخصیّت اوّل داستان هم، سیدنی، زیادی مرد ِ خوب و ایده‌آلی بود! :| دیگه شور ِ مرد ِ ایده‌آلـو دراورد پل استر. :دی
May 20, 2015
Auster here takes story-telling and uses that as a means to ponder reality and every labyrinthine way this translates through perception. He takes the maze and straightens it out so that every turn, every fork, every dead end corridor or way in or out is set parallel. Then what is left is something like the strata of rock, each layer signifying different eras in soil but here the unknowable passage we take from our point of view, fractured, subjective and incomplete. Auster takes that sample in stone and removes it from its original position, cuts out a slab, showing each layer stark in its particular colour and bleeding into every other, and polishes it until it reflects a clear light. Then he lays it down flat so that there is no point of orientation, we can't make out the bottom from the top, but we can glide over its slippery surface taking great care and occasionally glance down at some weird reflection.
The way in of the story within a story within a story within a going on for infinity is almost the least relevant aspect when experiencing this novel. Sure, it is the point of entry, the conceit, but that is not what is delivered whilst reading this. This is not a puzzle waiting to be solved, or a challenge, or somewhere to find solidity. I feel I float through the best of what he does and it is difficult to get a handle on what is being reached for. In The New York Trilogy Auster writes:
"It was something like the word 'it' in the phrase 'it is raining' or 'it is night'. What that 'it' referred to Quinn had never known."
And that is where I find this novel: walking hand in hand with the 'it'. For all the urban mysticism, the disambiguation folding back on itself, the necessary clarity of prose, the deft straddling of psychological nuance and the conveyance of time and perception relative to existence, I'm none the wiser. Perhaps that is precisely 'it'.
I have added a blue notebook to my Christmas wishlist.
The way in of the story within a story within a story within a going on for infinity is almost the least relevant aspect when experiencing this novel. Sure, it is the point of entry, the conceit, but that is not what is delivered whilst reading this. This is not a puzzle waiting to be solved, or a challenge, or somewhere to find solidity. I feel I float through the best of what he does and it is difficult to get a handle on what is being reached for. In The New York Trilogy Auster writes:
"It was something like the word 'it' in the phrase 'it is raining' or 'it is night'. What that 'it' referred to Quinn had never known."
And that is where I find this novel: walking hand in hand with the 'it'. For all the urban mysticism, the disambiguation folding back on itself, the necessary clarity of prose, the deft straddling of psychological nuance and the conveyance of time and perception relative to existence, I'm none the wiser. Perhaps that is precisely 'it'.
I have added a blue notebook to my Christmas wishlist.
July 30, 2019
Paul Auster has been too prolific for his own good. Some writers just perhaps need to if not stop writing than at least slow down. I so loved his earlier novels, but Oracle Night is yet another in the string of his more recent books that reads like a soul-less repetition of his once-soulful works. This novel felt to me as being with no centre, just a bag of curiosities with characters that failed to engage me and little mysteries sawn throughout that failed to be solved. The ending was contrived. Of course this being Paul Auster it wasn’t completely terrible and some scenes and observations, particularly about the nature of writing and storytelling, were amusing. But never particularly moving. I finished the book thinking ‘So what? What was the point of telling this story?’ I never felt like this with some of his other books, like the wonderful Leviathan which I read twice.
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