Travels in the Scriptorium

A Novel

Fiction & Literature, Literary
Cover of the book Travels in the Scriptorium by Paul Auster, Henry Holt and Co.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Paul Auster ISBN: 9781429904674
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. Publication: January 23, 2007
Imprint: Henry Holt and Co. Language: English
Author: Paul Auster
ISBN: 9781429904674
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Publication: January 23, 2007
Imprint: Henry Holt and Co.
Language: English

A man pieces together clues to his past—and the identity of his captors—in this fantastic, labyrinthine novel

An old man awakens, disoriented, in an unfamiliar chamber. With no memory of who he is or how he has arrived there, he pores over the relics on the desk, examining the circumstances of his confinement and searching his own hazy mind for clues.

Determining that he is locked in, the man—identified only as Mr. Blank—begins reading a manuscript he finds on the desk, the story of another prisoner, set in an alternate world the man doesn't recognize. Nevertheless, the pages seem to have been left for him, along with a haunting set of photographs. As the day passes, various characters call on the man in his cell—vaguely familiar people, some who seem to resent him for crimes he can't remember—and each brings frustrating hints of his identity and his past. All the while an overhead camera clicks and clicks, recording his movements, and a microphone records every sound in the room. Someone is watching.

Both chilling and poignant, Travels in the Scriptorium is vintage Auster: mysterious texts, fluid identities, a hidden past, and, somewhere, an obscure tormentor. And yet, as we discover during one day in the life of Mr. Blank, his world is not so different from our own.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

A man pieces together clues to his past—and the identity of his captors—in this fantastic, labyrinthine novel

An old man awakens, disoriented, in an unfamiliar chamber. With no memory of who he is or how he has arrived there, he pores over the relics on the desk, examining the circumstances of his confinement and searching his own hazy mind for clues.

Determining that he is locked in, the man—identified only as Mr. Blank—begins reading a manuscript he finds on the desk, the story of another prisoner, set in an alternate world the man doesn't recognize. Nevertheless, the pages seem to have been left for him, along with a haunting set of photographs. As the day passes, various characters call on the man in his cell—vaguely familiar people, some who seem to resent him for crimes he can't remember—and each brings frustrating hints of his identity and his past. All the while an overhead camera clicks and clicks, recording his movements, and a microphone records every sound in the room. Someone is watching.

Both chilling and poignant, Travels in the Scriptorium is vintage Auster: mysterious texts, fluid identities, a hidden past, and, somewhere, an obscure tormentor. And yet, as we discover during one day in the life of Mr. Blank, his world is not so different from our own.

More books from Henry Holt and Co.

Cover of the book Sing with Me! by Paul Auster
Cover of the book Robin by Paul Auster
Cover of the book If You're In My Office, It's Already Too Late by Paul Auster
Cover of the book The Alcatraz Escape by Paul Auster
Cover of the book The Embers by Paul Auster
Cover of the book My Colombian War by Paul Auster
Cover of the book The North Water by Paul Auster
Cover of the book Keep Calm by Paul Auster
Cover of the book Wonder Horse by Paul Auster
Cover of the book Yonder by Paul Auster
Cover of the book The Blue Between the Clouds by Paul Auster
Cover of the book Skelly's Halloween by Paul Auster
Cover of the book Once by Paul Auster
Cover of the book Mrs. Hornstien by Paul Auster
Cover of the book The Season of Second Chances by Paul Auster
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy