Travels in the Scriptorium

I was drawn into this beautifully-written, mysterious story from the very first page. I immediately felt for Mr. Blank, struggling to figure out who he was, where he was, and why. As the story unfolded and more and more characters came and went (not being familiar with Auster's other works, I did not realize they were from his previous works), and Mr. Blank read the unfinished manuscript in the room with him, a hundred theories went through my head. When the book ended, I didn't know what to make of the book's conclusion. Who was Mr. Blank? I felt like the question had not been answered. Yet, I knew a book this masterfully and elegantly written had to have a point. Therefore, I did something I have NEVER done before - I immediately turned to page one and read the book all the way through again. Upon second reading, Mr. Blank's true nature became clear to me, as did the true meaning behind the manuscript and the room itself. SPOILER ALERT: Mr. Blank was not named without a reason. He is the writer, locked within the confines of his very own mind. Things come into existence in the room only when he notices them, as when a writer writes things into existence. The characters, stemming from Auster's other books, showcase how a writer's previous works forever pervade a writer's subconscious, affecting his/her life from their conception onward. Mr. Blank, the writer, is unable to write, locked within this scriptorium until his writer's block is lifted and he is able to conclude his story. The missions he sent the operatives on are the storylines he used his characters for. WOW. Now that I have this (I believe) figured out, I must say, this is one of the most original, well-written, thought-provoking works of fiction I have EVER read. This little book is a testament to the beautiful working's of Paul Auster's mind, and stands as a symbol for writers and lovers of literature everywhere. This is what a great novella looks like, simply stated.

In this review, I only wish to issue one caveat: if you have not read many of Paul Auster's previous novels, this book will not have the effect that it does if you have read them. Reason: Auster refers to characters from his previous novels. So before reading this novel, I would suggest some of his earlier ones, in this reviewer's order of preference: The Music of Chance, New York Trilogy, and The Art of Illusion.

The book, more a Novella than a Novel per se, is an interesting rendition by Auster. The character finds himself in whatever condition he does, which in this book is an old man with lagging memory and little mobility. His daily needs seem to be met, he seems to be undergoing some type of treatment, but in general, he receives the care and feeding that is necessary. There does seem to be some type of elaborate psychiatric study going on, but the nature of the study and what may be its objectives are not revealed to the reader, except that it involves taking pills. It also creates great nausea, but much more than that, we do not know about the treatment. Thus Auster creates the conditions, the time, the place, the abilities and capacities of the protagonist, and the direction or purpose of the plot. And in the end, Auster brazenly flaunts this power. He shows us that the character has precisely what he endows upon him. Auster, the Author is the one in charge of everything and everyone that interacts with his character. And aside from that, Auster, the Author has not yet decided what the next thing, next experience, next occurrence will yet be. The book is recommended to all Auster readers and to those who are studying being writers and authors. The perspective Auster brings as Author is truly unique and worth the porthole he provides to us in this small Novel.

Imagine a small room, all in white, with a bed and a desk and a chair and not much else. Piled on the desk are a series of black and white photographs and a stack of manuscript pages. Sitting in the room is an old man, also dressed all in white. A camera mounted in the ceiling records his every action, and a sound-recording device tapes his every word. This man has no recollection of who he is, why he's there, or even what his name is --- we'll call him Mr. Blank. Is Mr. Blank a prisoner or a refugee? An invalid or a recluse? Much of Paul Auster's newest novel, TRAVELS IN THE SCRIPTORIUM, leaves these questions unanswered, forcing on readers the same kind of disorientation, claustrophobia and, yes, at times, tedium that plagues the mysterious Mr. Blank. Mr. Blank struggles with his unreliable body, with his even more unreliable memory --- his memories come back in brief flashbacks that are lost as quickly as they come --- and with his fundamental questions of self-identity. During the course of the day, Mr. Blank contemplates the photos on his desk, some of which correspond to the visitors who call on him periodically throughout the day. But, again, who are these people, and do they wish Mr. Blank harm or goodwill? Longtime Auster fans will recognize some of these figures from Auster's earlier works, particularly THE NEW YORK TRILOGY, but even these devotees are unlikely to make heads or tails of the characters' connection to Mr. Blank --- at least at first. Mr. Blank also peruses the partial manuscript that lies on his desk, which tells the story of Sigmund Graf, an officer of the Bureau of Internal Affairs for a country called the Confederation. Graf's story --- about an ill-fated mission to find a man named Ernesto Land --- remains maddeningly unfinished, requiring Mr. Blank to come to his own conclusions about Graf's narrative and its future directions. Finally, near the end of this most enigmatic novel, Mr. Blank's lawyer arrives, explaining that Mr. Blank has been charged with "the whole gamut...From criminal indifference to sexual molestation. From conspiracy to commit fraud to negligent homicide. From defamation of character to first-degree murder." But the questions remain --- is Mr. Blank kept in this room for punishment, or for protection? Auster's latest is in many ways --- besides the recurrence of key characters --- a throwback to his earliest novels, collected as THE NEW YORK TRILOGY. With its postmodern self-referentiality, existential questions and disorienting style, TRAVELS IN THE SCRIPTORIUM is a far less accessible work than, say, his previous book, THE BROOKLYN FOLLIES. It is also, with its claustrophobic setting, spareness and unusual symbolism, an homage of sorts to the minimalism and near-surrealism of Beckett and Kafka. For readers not afraid to wrestle with existential questions, TRAVELS IN THE SCRIPTORIUM is a demanding, but ultimately satisfying, reading experience. --- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

The New-York trilogy' and 'The music of chance' are a part of the best novels I ever read. In these novels imagination becomes reality, leading to psychological chaos and loss of identity in a meaningless world. Disappointed by novels like 'The Book of Illusions' and the 'Brooklyn Follies'. They suffered from long-windedness and a rather insipid plot not to mention a tendency to banality. Just as I almost removed his name from my list of favorite writers, he publishes 'Travels in the Scriptorium'. Are we back in the days of ' Music of Chance'?. I believe not. There is more social engagement , but above all there is more sense of absurdity. It is as if the author wants to create more distance between him and the reader, as if he wants to be alone with his characters. In 'The Music of Chance', the sense of the absurd was already very strong but there was a total social disengagement. A word or to about the principal characters. An old man finds himself in a small room. A miniature camera is planted in the ceiling right above him and a few microphones are also hidden. The camera takes one picture after the other of the old man ( Big Brother is watching.) He knows nothing: where is he? why? Who is he? Is this a prison? Or a psychiatric hospital? He has a strong sense of guilt but at the same time he feels that he is the victim of an injustice. Then there is Anna. Anna is... is what? Well we don't know exactly. Is she a nurse? An angel? A Guardian Angel maybe? Is she family? In any case she is always very kind and helpful. For an unknown reason she gives him three different pills every morning along with his breakfast. "I'm not sick!" "It's for your treatment". Ah, his treatment! Anna says she loves the old man and she wants a kiss on her lips. Mystifying, isn't it? The story is build upon what several people wrote down during their stay in a similar room - or the same room ? - the moment in time is also different. Are the manuscripts written by one person or more? (In a medieval abbey, the room where some of the monks copied their manuscripts was called a scriptorium. You could "travel" from one desk to the other.) I gave this novel five stars because this is Paul Auster at his best. He writes with a sense of humor about people. These people are trying to make the best of it, living in a hostile, cruel or indifferent world.