Paul Benjamin Auster was an American author and director known for his works that blend absurdism, existentialism, crime fiction, and the search for identity and personal meaning. Some of his most acclaimed books include The New York Trilogy (1987), Moon Palace (1989), The Music of Chance (1990), The Book of Illusions (2002), and The Brooklyn Follies (2005). His literary contributions have been translated into over forty languages.

Additionally, Auster wrote notable works such as Invisible (2009), Sunset Park (2010), Winter Journal (2012), and 4 3 2 1 (2017). In recognition of his contributions to literature, he was awarded the Prince of Asturias Prize for Literature in 2006 and was named a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters of France in 1992. His screenplay for Smoke earned him the Independent Spirit Award and his book Leviathan won the Prix Médicis Étranger.

Auster was a finalist for several prestigious awards, including the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award for The Book of Illusions, the PEN/Faulkner Award for The Music of Chance, the Edgar Award for City of Glass, and the Man Booker Prize for 4 3 2 1. He was the first recipient of the NYC Literary Honors in the category of fiction in 2012 and was a member of the American Academy of Arts.