From Booklist
Auster fans will recognize Auggie Wren as the proprietor of a Brooklyn cigar store in the film
Smoke (1995), written by Auster and starring Harvey Keitel as Auggie. But before
smoke came a burning dilemma: the
New York Times invites Auster to write a Christmas story, and he is at a total loss. So he confides in Auggie, who says, in the best fairy-tale mode, "If you buy me lunch, my friend, I'll tell you the best Christmas story you ever heard. And I guarantee that every word of it is true." And so the writer listens carefully to the smoke-shop owner's tale of a young shoplifter, a lonely blind woman, and an impromptu Christmas dinner. And even if readers have heard the tale before, they will be enraptured anew, because that's how Christmas stories work. We want to read them over and over again. And this little volume is a jewel, not only because Auster is such a dazzling and canny storyteller but also because of Argentine artist ISOL's superbly jazzy illustrations.
Donna SeamanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Product Description
A timeless, utterly charming Christmas fable, beautifully illustrated and destined to become a classic When Paul Auster was asked by The New York Times to write a Christmas story for the Op-Ed page, the result, "Auggie Wren's Christmas Story," led to Auster's collaboration on a film adaptation, Smoke . Now the story has found yet another life in this enchanting illustrated edition. It begins with a writer's dilemma: he's been asked by The New York Times to write a story that will appear in the paper on Christmas morning. The writer agrees, but he has a problem: How to write an unsentimental Christmas story? He unburdens himself to his friend at his local cigar shop, a colorful character named Auggie Wren. "A Christmas story? Is that all?" Auggie counters. "If you buy me lunch, my friend, I'll tell you the best Christmas story you ever heard. And I guarantee every word of it is true." And an unconventional story it is, involving a lost wallet, a blind woman, and a Christmas dinner. Everything gets turned upside down. What's stealing? What's giving? What's a lie? What's the truth? It's vintage Auster, and pure pleasure: a truly unsentimental but completely affecting tale.
