US novelist and screenwriter Paul Auster died of complications from lung cancer at his home in Brooklyn on Tuesday (Apr 30) evening aged 77, The New York Times reported, citing friend and author Jacki Lyden.

The New Jersey-born writer was known for a string of acclaimed works including The New York Trilogy and The Book of Illusions.

“We are very sad to hear of the death of Booker Prize shortlistee Paul Auster, whose work touched readers and influenced writers all over the world, and whose generosity was felt in just as many quarters,” the Booker Prizes posted on social media platform X.

The literary body shortlisted his book 4 3 2 1 for its award in 2017.

The author of more than 30 books, including poetry and memoirs, told Reuters in 2011 that he liked to write by hand in notebooks and then produce the finished copy on a typewriter rather than a computer.

“I feel more alive when I’m working,” he said.

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“I am convinced that writing is a kind of illness. Who would want to spend his life sitting in a room, putting words on paper? It’s a strange occupation. You got to have a great taste for solitude.” REUTERS