Here and Now

The high-spirited correspondence between New York Times bestselling author Paul Auster and Nobel laureate J. M. Coetzee

Although Paul Auster and J. M. Coetzee had been reading each other’s books for years, the two writers did not meet until February 2008. Not long after, Auster received a letter from Coetzee, suggesting they begin exchanging letters on a regular basis and,...

The high-spirited correspondence between New York Times bestselling author Paul Auster and Nobel laureate J. M. Coetzee

Although Paul Auster and J. M. Coetzee had been reading each other’s books for years, the two writers did not meet until February 2008. Not long after, Auster received a letter from Coetzee, suggesting they begin exchanging letters on a regular basis and, “God willing, strike sparks off each other.”

Here and Now is the result of that proposal: the epistolary dialogue between two great writers who became great friends. Over three years their letters touched on nearly every subject, from sports to fatherhood, film festivals to incest, philosophy to politics, from the financial crisis to art, death, family, marriage, friendship, and love.

Their correspondence offers an intimate and often amusing portrait of these two men as they explore the complexities of the here and now and is a reflection of two sharp intellects whose pleasure in each other’s friendship is apparent on every page.

保罗·奥斯特：

小说家、诗人、剧作家、译者、电影导演，被视为美国当代最勇于创新的小说家之一。1947年出生于新泽西州的纽渥克市，从哥伦比亚大学毕业后曾在法国生活数年。

J.M.库切：

南非当代著名小说家，被评论界认为是当代南非最重要的作家之一。曾两度获得布克奖，并于2003年获得诺贝尔文学奖。 1940年出生于南非开普敦，现居澳大利亚。