In Oracle Night, Paul Auster returns to one of his favorite themes: writing about writers and the act of writing. Recovering from a severe illness that has left him weak and prone to nosebleeds, struggling novelist Sidney Orr takes the suggestion of his mentor, the acclaimed novelist John Trause, and begins a story about a man who, upon considering a near-death experience as an...
In Oracle Night, Paul Auster returns to one of his favorite themes: writing about writers and the act of writing. Recovering from a severe illness that has left him weak and prone to nosebleeds, struggling novelist Sidney Orr takes the suggestion of his mentor, the acclaimed novelist John Trause, and begins a story about a man who, upon considering a near-death experience as an omen (or excuse), walks out on his wife and begins a new life. Nick Bowen, Orr's protagonist, moves to Kansas City and finds work with a man engaged in creating a sort of catalogue of all known persons from a warehouse filled with phonebooks. Dressed in Goodwill clothing, Nick finds it "fitting to don the wardrobe of a man who has likewise ceased to exist--as if that double negation made the erasure of his past more thorough, more permanent." Grace, however, acts strangely soon after Sidney begins the "novel-within-a-novel" in a mysterious blue notebook.
Auster uses footnotes to provide interesting backstory and develops Sidney's insecurities regarding love and fidelity, but when Sidney hits a patchy spot and writes Bowen into a corner, he (and Auster) shrugs and drops the story. The mystery that seemingly unrelated coincidences may have a causal connection is left unresolved, and Trause's delinquent son shows up to facilitate a hollow, climactic ending. Auster is a gifted writer, to be sure, but once trapped by the inner story, Oracle Night loses steam. --Michael Ferch [via]
作者简介
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Paul Auster was born in Newark, New Jersey, on February 3rd, 1947. He is the author of numerous novels, screenplays, and works of non-fiction. His other titles include poet, translator and film director. His latest novel "The Brooklyn Follies", was published in late 2005. He is currently at work on a film project entitled "The Inner Life of Martin Frost". His next novel, "Trave...
Paul Auster was born in Newark, New Jersey, on February 3rd, 1947. He is the author of numerous novels, screenplays, and works of non-fiction. His other titles include poet, translator and film director. His latest novel "The Brooklyn Follies", was published in late 2005. He is currently at work on a film project entitled "The Inner Life of Martin Frost". His next novel, "Travels in the Scriptorium" is due to be published in early 2007. He lives in Brooklyn, New York with his wife, the author Siri Hustvedt.
藤原琉璃君
译林出版社2007版
purplepine
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陈冻凉
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疯狂魔术师┃星学深似海
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0 有用 维也纳的猫 2012-10-31 05:42:18
本以为奥斯特终于要讲一个文本套文本的故事，像卡尔维诺那样，但最后还是落在了个人的命运上，很遗憾。再说，对于Jacob这个人物表现出来的态度不够丰满，因为没有单纯的恶。Sid在写作中消失的那条线索，本来可以展开得很好，可惜成了一个铺垫的花招，实在是可惜了。
0 有用 Silly cat 2012-08-27 11:40:52
读过的第二本Paul Auster. 少数我能在火车和飞机上看下去的书之一，几乎不需要任何self-motivation就可以走进故事，但故事本身有些散乱。语言太棒了。
0 有用 千夏蛍 2018-10-16 10:55:10
ugh…为什么我觉得语言和故事都很一般