Saturday
Sep042010
My Secret Couple
September 4, 2010 
Many years ago my good friend Jimmy introduced me to a man that I came to love, Paul Auster. I bought each and every novel and basked in the early days of love with a new author. The book dates were endless as I entertained the books in his vast repertoire one after another.
Several years later I had lunch with a fellow from New York, he was reading a book, The Blindfold by Siri Hustvedt. He had borrowed it from the Brooklyn Public Library. We talked books while we waited for a mutual friend to arrive and I made note I of that book on a post-it note and promptly tucked it away where it stayed, in a place that I could for the life of me never remember. I began to obsess about the book’s title and author. You might ask why I didn’t get in touch with the friend but he worked for 60 Minutes and was out of the country most of the time and truly I didn’t really have any connection with him.
I consulted with my friend Jimmy and the two of us searched high and low for a book that had the word Blind in it. Canadian and book releases are not quite as fruitful as they are in the US and those were not the days of Internet searching. Meanwhile I continued to cherish my true love, Mr. Auster. Imagine how berserk I was when one day, years later I found the note. Shortly after that Jimmy found one copy of The Blindfold in a bookstore in Florida. It was just as wonderful as we had imagined.
My dear friend died several years ago and his wife gave me all of his Paul Auster and Siri Hustvedt books, even though I had my own copies. For those of you who know Auster’s work you will remember that many of his books are set in Brooklyn, and one is even called The Brooklyn Follies. Ironically it was in the Brooklyn library that the original book was borrowed from. Of all my books, and I have many, the work of these two authors are my most treasured.
Imagine my shock when I discovered that Siri and Paul were not only side-by-side on my shelf; they were sleeping together in real life.
How could Jimmy and I have never known that they wed in 1981?
Reader Comments (10)
I love all the brown tones in the photo, it makes it all 'chocolately', if that is even a word, if not, I invented it just now.
OMG, Margie. I did not expect that juxtapostion at all! Syncronicity? This is when it is appropriate to say Life is stranger than fiction. And that's the truth. I can just imagine how this has thrilled you...all of it. Thanks for sharing this delightful story. Maybe you could make a novel of it? :)
'What I Loved' - by Siri Hustvedt..is up there with some of the best books I've ever read. And - somehow I knew that she and Paul Auster were 'connected'. It's funny how we can read people's writings..and know so little about their personal lives.
Somewhere in your unconscious you must have known....
Love the image and love the story you told. I'm not a huge reader, but you have certainly sparked my interest.
Love your story. I just bought my first Siri Hustvedt (in Dutch) called 'Wat me lief was'(what I loved) but haven't started yet. Paul Auster I don't know, but now I'm going to look out for it. thanks
Looks there are two more authors I need to add to my list. Gotta read the stack I've already got, though! I think Ginnie nailed with "synchronicity".
How amazing is that?? What an incredible story Marcie. I love it that you DID find the note after all, that happens a lot to me as well. Usually right after I have found another way to get to that what I was looking for in the first place.
I've only read one Paul Auster and one Siri Hustvedt - I'll put it on the list.
xo
ah, you left the most interesting and unexpected passage for the very end, in the best tradition of a suspence. :-)
What a nice surprise though huh? Albeit a little freaky. But you pegged it!