Hand to Mouth : A Chronicle of Early Failure

Paul Auster's Hand to Mouth: A Chronicle of Early Failure is a fascinating and often funny memoir about his early years as a writer struggling to be published, and to make enough money to survive. Leaving high school with "itchy feet" and refusing to play it safe, Auster avoided convention and the double life of steady office employment while writing. From the streets of New York City, Dublin, and Paris to a surreal adventure in a dusty village in Mexico, Auster's account of living on next to nothing introduces an unforgettable cast of characters while examining what it means to be a writer.

“Delightful...A gracious and humane tale...One can only marvel at Auster's artistry” —The Boston Sunday Globe, The Boston Sunday Globe

“Auster writes in a voice so clear, so mesmerizing, and so profound...[he] is unafraid of his own power, precisely because he has acknowledged humiliation's alchemy, its way of letting words vibrate at whatever weird, golden velocity they wish, Hand to Mouth vibrates...beautiful.” —Wayne Koestenbaum, Bookforum

“Required, inspiring reading for Auster-holics and aspiring writers.” —Kirkus Reviews

“An engaging account of his early attempts to stay afloat as a writer...with a colorful cast of sharply etched characters who he meets along the way.” —Chicago Tribune

“As a cautionary tale for writers, this is a superb book.” —Publishers Weekly