Celebrity

Paul Auster, Prolific And Experimental Man Of Letters And Filmmaker, Dies At 77

Published

8 months ago

2024-05-01

Kiara Grace

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NEW YORK —Paul Auster, a prolific, award-winning writer and director known for creative tales and meta-narratives such as “The New York Trilogy” and “4 3 2 1,” died at the age of 77.

The Carol Mann Agency, Auster’s literary representatives, announced his death on Wednesday but did not immediately disclose any other information. Auster was diagnosed with cancer in 2022.

Auster wrote over 30 books, which have been translated into dozens of languages, beginning in the 1970s. He was a longtime fixture in the Brooklyn literary scene but has yet to achieve major commercial success in the United States. However, he was widely admired overseas for his cosmopolitan worldview and erudite and reflective style, and the French government named him a chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters in 1991. He was also shortlisted for the Booker Prize and elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

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Paul Auster, Prolific And Experimental Man Of Letters And Filmmaker, Dies At 77

Auster, dubbed the “dean of American post-modernists” and “the most meta of American meta-fictional writers,” combined history, politics, genre experiments, existential quests, and self-conscious references to writers and writing. “The New York Trilogy,” which featured “City of Glass,” “Ghosts,” and “The Locked Room,” was a postmodern detective story in which names and identities blurred, and one protagonist was a private investigator named Paul Auster. The brief “Travels in the Scriptorium” tells a story within a story as a political prisoner is forced to read a sequence of narratives by other victims, which will eventually include his own.

The author’s longest and most ambitious work of fiction, “4 3 2 1,” was published in 2017 and was a Booker Prize nominee. The 800-page novel is a story of quadraphonic realism in the post-World War II era, following Archibald Isaac Ferguson’s simultaneous adventures from summer camp and high school baseball to student life in New York and Paris during the major uprisings of the late 1960s.

“Identical but different, meaning four boys with the same name parents, the same bodies, and the same genetic material, but each one living in a different house in a different town with his own set of circumstances,” the author writes. “Each one on his own separate path, and yet all of them still the same person, three imaginary versions of himself, and then himself thrown in as Number Four for good measure; the author of the book.”

His other works included the nonfiction compilations “Groundwork” and “Talking to Strangers”; a family memoir, “The Invention of Solitude”; a biography of novelist Stephen Crane; the novels “Leviathan” and “Talking to Strangers”; and the poetry collection “White Space.” In his most recent novel, “Baumgardner,” the titular character is a widowed professor troubled by mortality and wondering “where his mind will be taking him next.”

Auster was such an old-fashioned novelist that he used a typewriter and disliked email and other Internet communication. However, he had an extraordinarily active film career compared to his writing peers.

In the mid-1990s, Auster worked with filmmaker Wayne Wang on the celebrated art-house film “Smoke,” which was an adaptation of Auster’s funny narrative about a Brooklyn tobacco shop and a customer named Paul. The film stars Harvey Keitel, Stockard Channing, and William Hurt, among others, and earned Auster an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay.

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Paul Auster, Prolific And Experimental Man Of Letters And Filmmaker, Dies At 77

Wang and Auster immediately followed up on “Smoke” with “Blue in the Face,” an improvised story set in a Brooklyn cigar shop that starred Keitel and featured appearances by everyone from Lou Reed to Lily Tomlin.

Auster eventually created the films himself. Keitel appeared in Auster’s 1998 love story “Lulu on the Bridge,” which he directed and co-wrote with Vanessa Redgrave. Nine years later, Auster wrote and directed the drama “The Inner Life of Martin Frost,” which starred David Thewlis as an author and Irène Jacob as a lady who has an unusual connection to the story he is writing.

“The four times I’ve worked on movies, I’ve never had a problem talking to actors,” Auster told filmmaker Wim Wenders in a 2017 interview published in Interview magazine. “I was always in excellent harmony with them. After those events, I recognized a connection between creating fiction and acting. The writer does it with words on a page, whereas the actor does so with his body. The effort remains the same.

Auster married fellow author Siri Hustvedt in 1982, and they had a daughter, Sophie, who appears in “The Inner Life of Martin Frost.” He also had a son, Daniel, from his first marriage to the author-translator Lydia Davis. Daniel Auster would suffer from drug addiction and die of an overdose in 2022, shortly after being charged with second-degree manslaughter in the death of his young daughter, Ruby.

Paul Auster never publicly discussed his son’s death, but he had written extensively on parenthood. In “The Invention of Solitude,” published in 1982, he reflected on the “thousands of hours” he’d spent with Daniel in the first three years of his life and wondered if they were worthwhile. “It will be lost forever,” Auster wrote. “All these things will vanish for the boy’s memory forever.”

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Paul Auster, Prolific And Experimental Man Of Letters And Filmmaker, Dies At 77

Born in Newark, New Jersey, Paul Benjamin Auster grew up in a middle-class Jewish family caught between his father’s thriftiness and miserliness and his mother’s desire to spend to the point of irresponsibility. He would soon feel like an outcast in his family, turned off by their materialism and inspired by James Joyce’s “Ulysses” or Edgar Allan Poe’s stories rather than the stability of a typical employment.

His ideals would be thoroughly tested. After graduating from Columbia University, Auster toiled for years before finding a publisher and making money from his works. He wrote poetry, translated French literature, worked on an oil tanker, tried to sell a baseball board game, and even considered making money by raising worms in his cellar.

“All along, my only ambition had been to write,” Auster wrote in her brief memoir “Hand to Mouth,” released in 1995. “I knew it as early as 16 or 17 years old, and I never misled myself into believing I could make a life from it. Becoming a writer is not a ‘career decision’ like becoming a doctor or a police officer. You don’t select it; you’re picked, and once you realize that you’re not cut out for anything else, you must be prepared to walk a long, hard road for the rest of your life.”

SOURCE – (AP)

Celebrity

MGK and Megan Fox Love Hate Relationship

Published

17 hours ago

2024-12-20

Geoff Brown

MGK and Megan Fox

MGK and Megan Fox have been in the news for years because of their turbulent relationship. Their four-year romance has been filled with drama, heartache, and passion. The attention is now more focused than ever after their recent breakup caused a stir.

Let’s examine this famous pair’s highs, lows, and potential future developments.

Allegations of a romance between MGK and Megan Fox began in 2020 when they met while filming the movie Midnight in the Switchgrass. What started as a short-lived romance quickly grew more intense, and the two often publicly displayed their love in bold ways.

When they announced their engagement in January 2022, MGK presented them with a unique two-stone ring “symbolic of their souls’ union.”

But this supposedly idyllic partnership wasn’t at all easy. Reports of heated fights, problems with trust, and emotional ups and downs started to surface behind closed doors. The couple’s tremendously passionate yet erratic relationship often made headlines during their time together.

MGK and Megan Fox Breakup

The Thanksgiving weekend in 2024 was a turning point. According to reports, Megan broke up with MGK after finding “upsetting material” on his phone.

This information led to sentiments of betrayal, which have been the main cause of their breakup. According to those close to her, the actress frequently felt disrespected and upset by MGK’s actions.

Megan is expecting the couple’s first child, which heightens the strain. According to sources, co-parenting negotiations are underway as the actress concentrates on her pregnancy. Despite the breakup, Megan is committed to providing a healthy environment for their pregnant child.

Meanwhile, MGK isn’t prepared to give up. Insiders claim that the 34-year-old artist is trying to regain Megan’s affection. He attempts to demonstrate his willingness to change with cryptic social media statements and public apologies.

According to a person close to the couple, MGK is extremely sorry for the problems that caused them to part ways. Megan, though, seems less likely to make amends. According to friends, she is tired of the drama and is concentrating on her own and her kids’ welfare.

Is the separation, however, truly irreversible? Although some say it’s final, others counter that their relationship’s sporadic nature offers room for future reunion.

MGK’s ex-girlfriend

The split’s more strange side story revolves around MGK’s ex-girlfriend Amia Miley’s previous accusations. On a recent podcast, she made startling allegations regarding MGK’s intimate behaviour during their past relationship. Even though it has nothing to do with his recent split from Megan, the article has raised more questions about MGK’s private life.

The musician hasn’t been doing well lately in terms of public opinion. Numerous admirers have characterized his acts as immature and untrustworthy, and they have voiced dismay. On the other hand, Megan has received a ton of support and recognition for her fortitude during this trying period.

Despite the heartache, Megan isn’t dealing with this alone. According to reports, she has received support from her ex-husband, Brian Austin Green, and his fiancée, Sharna Burgess. Sharna, Megan’s soon-to-be stepmother, has been consoling throughout the breakup.

For Megan, this odd bond has turned into a benefit. It demonstrates her capacity to preserve wholesome relationships for the benefit of her children. Megan is devoted to her son’s happiness, having three sons: Noah, Bodhi, and Journey.

It isn’t easy to foresee what will happen to Megan and MGK. Reconciliations have occurred when no one expected them to, and their connection has always been erratic. But according to many close to Megan, this time feels different.

MGK is having a difficult time

Megan appears to be concentrating on her pregnancy and mental health at the moment, and MGK is having a difficult time winning back her trust. One thing is certain: MGK and Megan Fox will continue to be tabloid favourites for the foreseeable future, regardless of whether they can reconcile or go their separate ways.

MGK and Megan Fox’s relationship reminds us that love can occasionally have a price, no matter how intense. Their experience also reminds us of a partnership’s value of open communication, respect, and trust.

It’s simple for spectators and fans to become enmeshed in the drama. Fundamentally, however, this is a very human tale of two individuals attempting to do what is best for themselves and their families while overcoming personal obstacles.

MGK and Megan Fox still haven’t written the next chapter. How this story ends—through co-parenting, reconciliation, or a complete break—will only become clear with time.

Celebrity

Megan Fox Says She’s Done with Machine Gun Kelly

Published

3 days ago

2024-12-18

Geoff Brown

Megan Fox says she's is focusing on herself and her family.

Pregnant Megan Fox, despite her pregnancy with Machine Gun Kelly’s child, claims she will never live with the singer again. She stated that she would like things to remain platonic between the two.

Megan announced her pregnancy on November 12, only days before the couple divorced over Thanksgiving. She already has three children, Noah, 11, Bodhi, 9, and Journey, 7, with her ex-husband Brian Austin Green.

Megan Fox and Kelly have a long history of on-and-off dating, and suspicion immediately circulated that their current breakup was temporary.

However, a source close to Fox said that she is ready to break the cycle as she prepares to give birth to her next child.

According to a source for Us Weekly, Megan Fox is currently focusing on herself and her family. “She’s been working a lot this year, so she’s looking forward to spending time with her kids.”

Showing that she is serious about ending her chapter with Machine Gun Kelly, the insider revealed that the two “haven’t been in contact this last week,” further demonstrating that “things are not looking great between them right now.”

“She hopes that with them taking time apart right now, they will be able to have a healthy co-parenting relationship,” the insider said of Fox’s “table environment” for her baby.

Despite their no-contact condition, the source stated that Fox was “trying to focus on being positive” and looked forward to co-parenting with her ex. “No matter how she feels about MGK, she has a lot of love for him and is excited that they are going to become parents,” they told me.

“MGK is really letting Megan lead the way right now and is giving her space.”

Megan, who has stated that she believes she helped shape the rapper-turned-rocker into the person he is, has been relying on her ex-husband’s fiancée, Sharna Burgess, as she navigates the difficult breakup.

‘Sharna understands how tough it is to be pregnant and has been supporting Megan,’ a source told DailyMail.com last week.

‘She truly cares and feels for her. Breakups are terrible enough on their own, but being pregnant makes them worse.

Related News:

Megan Fox Talks About Baby No. 4 and Family

Celebrity

Gypsy Rose Claims Ex Got Aroused Over Mom’s Murder

Published

3 days ago

2024-12-18

Geoff Brown

Gypsy Rose Blanchard Says Her Ex Had "Murder Fantasies" and Found them "Arousing"

The tragic story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard continues to unearth chilling details, even years after the 2015 murder of her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard. Her tell-all book My Time To Stand offers a series of unsettling recollections.

In a recent surprising disclosure, Gipsy accused her former boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, of becoming “aroused” by dreams about her mother’s murder. This claim sheds a darker light on a case already fraught with troubling issues about deception, abuse, and twisted connections.

Gipsy Rose rose to prominence after the murder of her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard. Dee Dee suffered from Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a disorder in which a carer fabricates or causes illness in someone in their care.

For years, Dee Dee persuaded doctors, neighbours, and the general public that Gipsy was seriously ill, limiting her to wheelchairs and unnecessary medical procedures.

Behind closed doors, Dee Dee had complete control over Gypsy’s life, including her meals, social activities, and thoughts. Her physical and psychological abuse produced a toxic atmosphere from which Gipsy desperately sought to escape.

Planning the Murder

Gipsy and her then-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, planned to murder Dee Dee. Godejohn carried out the murder by stabbing Dee Dee while she was sleeping. Gipsy and Godejohn were both captured shortly after the incident.

Gipsy pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and received a 10-year jail sentence, while Godejohn received a life sentence for first-degree murder.

In a recent interview and previous publications, Gipsy Rose claimed Godejohn found the murder “arousing.” Gipsy claims Godejohn has a history of violent fantasies and an obsession with manipulating women.

These traits could have influenced his involvement in the crime.

Gypsy’s assertions paint Godejohn as a manipulator who exploited her vulnerability for his gain. She characterized him as ready to carry out the plan, not because he loved or supported her predicament but because it appealed to his dark desires.

The Abuse of Gypsy Rose

Their internet relationship, which began innocently, quickly evolved into something evil. Godejohn’s aggressive inclinations, combined with Gypsy’s desperate need to escape Dee Dee’s abuse, formed a dangerous situation.

In it, she described meeting Godejohn on a Christian dating service in 2012 and how the two developed an explicit relationship. Gipsy Rose wrote on how swiftly Nick supposedly exposed her to a world of “sexually perverse things,” recalling.

She described alarming moments in which he would “threaten” to take his love away from her if she did not perform what he wanted sexually.

Things climaxed when they met and discussed the prospect of living together in Nick’s home state, Wisconsin. Soon after, Gipsy recounted in her memoir, the young couple considered killing Dee Dee to stay together.

Gipsy Rose described them as “gradual,” having been “baked into an elaborate fantasy world” starring Victor and other Nick-created characters. Even creepier was her claim that he “got sexually aroused” when discussing rape and murder.

The latest claims against Godejohn have sparked renewed public interest in the case. Some interpret Gypsy’s words as an attempt to disassociate herself from the crime, while others see them as a legitimate insight into Godejohn’s character.

Whatever your point of view, it’s evident that this isn’t a simple story. The complicated relationships between Gipsy Rose, Dee Dee, and Godejohn continue to intrigue and horrify people following the case.

Nick is serving the remainder of his life in jail, while Gipsy Rose continues to market her memoir as she prepares to give birth to her first child.