Name: Mr. Vertigo
Rating: 3.962962962962963 (27 reviews)
ISBN: 9783499221521

An enduringly brilliant tale of trial and triumph, set in America in the 1920s, from the author of 4 3 2 1: A Novel Paul Auster, the New York Times-bestselling author of The New York Trilogy, presents a dazzling, picaresque novel set in the late 1920s – the era of Babe Ruth, Charles Lindbergh, and Al Capone. Walter Claireborne Rawley, renowned nationwide as "Walt the Wonder Boy," is a Saint Louis orphan rescued from the streets by a mysterious Hungarian Jew, Master Yehudi, who teaches Walt to walk on air. Master Yehudi brings Walt into a Kansas circus troupe consisting of Mother Sioux and Aesop, a young black genius. The vaudeville act takes them across a vast and vibrant country, through mythic Americana where they meet and fall prey to sinners, thieves, and villains, from the Kansas Ku Klux Klan to the Chicago mob. Walt's rise to fame and fortune mirrors America's own coming of age, and his resilience, like that of the nation, is challenged over and over and over again.

Combining elements of mystery, meta-fiction, and existential philosophy, the traditional detective story is radically reimagined to probe identity, coincidence, and human isolation in The New York Trilogy. Paul Benjamin Auster was an American novelist, poet, translator, memoirist, and director whose extensive body of work has been translated into more than forty languages.

Career & Background

Born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1947, Paul Auster earned undergraduate and Master's degrees from Columbia University before moving to Paris, where he supported himself by translating French literature. Returning to the United States in 1974, he developed a versatile literary career spanning fiction, poetry, essays, and film scripts, becoming a central figure in the Brooklyn literary community. Over a career lasting five decades, he wrote more than twenty books and earned significant international recognitions, including the Prince of Asturias Prize for Literature in 2006, the Prix Médicis Étranger for Leviathan, and a shortlist position for the 2017 Man Booker Prize for 4 3 2 1.

Writing Style & Themes

Auster's writing blends absurdism, existentialism, crime fiction, and meta-narrative techniques to examine the search for identity and personal meaning. His novels frequently call attention to the artifice of storytelling, constructing intricate mysteries around chance encounters, unexpected catastrophes, and deep solitude. Rather than resolving traditional procedural plots, his narratives leverage investigative frameworks to explore philosophical questions about memory, destiny, and the human condition.

Major Works

The New York Trilogy — Published in 1987, this collection of three interconnected novellas deconstructs classic detective tropes to investigate themes of obsession, language, and identity.
Moon Palace — Published in 1989, this novel follows a young man searching for self-discovery, familial heritage, and survival across mid-twentieth-century New York and the American West.
The Music of Chance — Published in 1990, this absurdist narrative explores themes of freedom, debt, and fate through two men forced to build a stone wall after losing a high-stakes poker game.
The Book of Illusions — Published in 2002, this novel probes grief and artistic creation through a grieving professor who immerses himself in the life of a forgotten silent-film actor.
The Brooklyn Follies — Published in 2005, this narrative offers an affectionate look at human resilience, family ties, and small triumphs set against a Brooklyn neighborhood.
Oracle Night — A meta-fictional story centering on a writer who purchases a blue notebook that appears to exert a eerie influence on his life and imagination.
Invisible — A multi-layered novel spanning several decades and international locations that examines youth, obsession, and moral responsibility.
Timbuktu — A touching story narrated from the perspective of a loyal dog reflecting on his life with his homeless, poet master.
Mr. Vertigo — An inventive tale set in 1920s America chronicling a young orphan who is trained by an enigmatic master to perform levitation.

Career & Background

Writing Style & Themes

Major Works

The New York Trilogy — Published in 1987, this collection of three interconnected novellas deconstructs classic detective tropes to investigate themes of obsession, language, and identity.
Moon Palace — Published in 1989, this novel follows a young man searching for self-discovery, familial heritage, and survival across mid-twentieth-century New York and the American West.
The Music of Chance — Published in 1990, this absurdist narrative explores themes of freedom, debt, and fate through two men forced to build a stone wall after losing a high-stakes poker game.
The Book of Illusions — Published in 2002, this novel probes grief and artistic creation through a grieving professor who immerses himself in the life of a forgotten silent-film actor.
The Brooklyn Follies — Published in 2005, this narrative offers an affectionate look at human resilience, family ties, and small triumphs set against a Brooklyn neighborhood.
Oracle Night — A meta-fictional story centering on a writer who purchases a blue notebook that appears to exert a eerie influence on his life and imagination.
Invisible — A multi-layered novel spanning several decades and international locations that examines youth, obsession, and moral responsibility.
Timbuktu — A touching story narrated from the perspective of a loyal dog reflecting on his life with his homeless, poet master.
Mr. Vertigo — An inventive tale set in 1920s America chronicling a young orphan who is trained by an enigmatic master to perform levitation.

Career & Background

Writing Style & Themes

Major Works

The New York Trilogy — Published in 1987, this collection of three interconnected novellas deconstructs classic detective tropes to investigate themes of obsession, language, and identity.
Moon Palace — Published in 1989, this novel follows a young man searching for self-discovery, familial heritage, and survival across mid-twentieth-century New York and the American West.
The Music of Chance — Published in 1990, this absurdist narrative explores themes of freedom, debt, and fate through two men forced to build a stone wall after losing a high-stakes poker game.
The Book of Illusions — Published in 2002, this novel probes grief and artistic creation through a grieving professor who immerses himself in the life of a forgotten silent-film actor.
The Brooklyn Follies — Published in 2005, this narrative offers an affectionate look at human resilience, family ties, and small triumphs set against a Brooklyn neighborhood.
Oracle Night — A meta-fictional story centering on a writer who purchases a blue notebook that appears to exert a eerie influence on his life and imagination.
Invisible — A multi-layered novel spanning several decades and international locations that examines youth, obsession, and moral responsibility.
Timbuktu — A touching story narrated from the perspective of a loyal dog reflecting on his life with his homeless, poet master.
Mr. Vertigo — An inventive tale set in 1920s America chronicling a young orphan who is trained by an enigmatic master to perform levitation.

Career & Background

Writing Style & Themes

Major Works

The New York Trilogy — Published in 1987, this collection of three interconnected novellas deconstructs classic detective tropes to investigate themes of obsession, language, and identity.
Moon Palace — Published in 1989, this novel follows a young man searching for self-discovery, familial heritage, and survival across mid-twentieth-century New York and the American West.
The Music of Chance — Published in 1990, this absurdist narrative explores themes of freedom, debt, and fate through two men forced to build a stone wall after losing a high-stakes poker game.
The Book of Illusions — Published in 2002, this novel probes grief and artistic creation through a grieving professor who immerses himself in the life of a forgotten silent-film actor.
The Brooklyn Follies — Published in 2005, this narrative offers an affectionate look at human resilience, family ties, and small triumphs set against a Brooklyn neighborhood.
Oracle Night — A meta-fictional story centering on a writer who purchases a blue notebook that appears to exert a eerie influence on his life and imagination.
Invisible — A multi-layered novel spanning several decades and international locations that examines youth, obsession, and moral responsibility.
Timbuktu — A touching story narrated from the perspective of a loyal dog reflecting on his life with his homeless, poet master.
Mr. Vertigo — An inventive tale set in 1920s America chronicling a young orphan who is trained by an enigmatic master to perform levitation.

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§About the Author

Career & Background

Writing Style & Themes

Major Works

§About the Author

Career & Background

Writing Style & Themes

Major Works