Paul Auster was born on February 3, 1947, in Newark, New Jersey. In addition to his career as a writer, Auster has been a census taker, tutor, merchant seaman, little-league baseball coach, and a telephone operator. After graduating from Columbia in 1970, he started his writing career as a translator. He soon gained popularity for the detective novels that make up his New York Trilogy. Auster's novel, "The Invention of Solitude," is a memoir exploring the relationship he had with his father. Auster has gradually shifted from mystery writing to science fiction. His other works include "Leviathan" and "Moon Palace." In addition to his novels, Auster has written screenplays and directed… several films. He is the recipient of a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and a French Prix Medicis for Foreign Literature.