The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert

The elusive French luminary Joseph Joubert is a great explorer of the mind's open spaces. Edited and translated by Paul Auster, this selection from Joubert's notebooks introduces a master of the enigmatic who seeks "to call everything by its true name" while asking us to "remember everything is double." "Joubert speaks in whispers," Auster writes. "One must draw very close to hear what he is saying."

Joseph Joubert (1754-1824) was a philosopher who associated with the leading French thinkers of his day. He published little during his lifetime, preferring to record his thoughts in his voluminous notebooks. After Joubert’s death, his friend, Chateaubriand, distributed these writings, which won Joubert posthumous fame and influence.

Paul Auster (1947-2024)  was the author of many works of fiction and nonfiction. His notable works include The New York Trilogy, The Book of Illusions, Sunset Park, and Burning Boy: The Life and Work of Stephen Crane.