The Review of Contemporary Fiction
Why Write? by Paul AusterRobert L. McLaughlin
Paul Auster. Why Write? Burning Deck, 1996. 58 pp. $20.00; paper: $10.00.
This volume collects seven essays by Paul Auster, all having to do, more or less, with writing. The most important is the title piece, reprinted from the New Yorker, in which Auster answers the question of why he writes with five vignettes—some autobiographical, all apparently true—illustrating stranger-than-fiction coincidences. The message seems to be that, even in a chaotic world governed by nothing but chance, unexpected connections, meaningful connections, occur; writing helps to find the connections and to create the meaning. The other pieces range from “Word Box,” a photo essay, to my favorite, “A Prayer for Salman Rushdie.” This is a short but rewarding collection from one of our best writers. [Robert L. McLaughlin]