Identity in Paul Auster's novels

Paul Auster is a contemporary American writer. He is widely known as a postmodern novelist but his other literary identities are neglected. This study attempts to examine examples from the writer?s entire output in order to do justice to the wide range of his work. Paul Auster is also a translator, a poet, a playwright, and a movide director. These different artistic activities of the writer might be observed in different phases in his life. The aim of considering as many phases as possible from Paul Auster?s life is to determine how he approaches the theme of identity. Auster offers a heterogenous blend of all his influences and offers a unique approach to identity. In his novels, identities show postmodern, existential, and European aspects and are marked by fluidity. In fact, the various influences Auster has make his identity as a writer fluid, too in the sense that he uses his varying themes from varying influences simultaneously. Therefore, an analysis of identity in Auster?s novels can be analyzed by looking at his early career to understand his own construction of identity. Then, the manifestations of these influences in his works can be analyzed in terms of the fluid identities his novels portray. This thesis concludes that in Auster?s novels-as well as in Auster?s person- identity appears in two ways: sychronically and diachronically