Tibarih Al-Aish, by Paul Auster

This text falls within a series of autobiographical books written by Paul Auster, which include "The Invention of Solitude" (1982), "The Red Notebook" (1993), "The Book of Illusions" (1996), "Winter Journal" (2013), and "Report from the Interior" (2014). "The Book of Illusions" occupies a fundamental place in the author's career, as it describes the difficult material conditions he experienced as a young man, his childhood within a family where money was a source of discord, then his adolescence and independence from the family in earning his livelihood, along with details of his early literary attempts in criticism, poetry, theater, and novel writing, and his struggles with publishing and the disappointments he endured. This text mentions many people who influenced and supported the author, whether they were famous in the worlds of literature, art, and cinema, or simple folk. The issue of money remains the core and focus of the book, and therefore the author elaborates on the life of poverty he lived, which led one critic to say: "Paul Auster offers one of the most authentic and daring autobiographies, a life story no writer has previously written. Who dared to tell his life from the perspective of money?" Michel Contat (Le Monde). Before Paul Auster gained fame and enjoyed stability, he lived harsh years, enduring the hardships of poverty and scarcity. The author recounts his struggles of living in this text, which can be labeled as a youth autobiography. Number of pages: 170