The 1987 publication of The New York Trilogy marked a new departure for the American novel. Considered by critics to be Paul Auster's landmark work, this experimental reinterpretation of the crime novel is the foundation of his literary universe. With elegant and refined prose, crafted from his poetry, it links the fundamental elements of his writing: contingency, identity, and an interest in exploring memory. Together, the three stories—"City of Glass," "Ghosts," and "The Locked Room"—articulate a specular reflection on literary creation, the nature of the writer, and the reliability of the narrative voice, which will expand its roots into his later work. With his illustrations for The New York Trilogy, originally published in 2008, the young British artist Tom Burns recreates the Austere setting through poster art, illuminated signs, verticality, fragmentation, and the vibrant sense of speed emanating from his lines. As he explains, his inspiration "flowed from the city itself, from the liveliness of daily life, and from the iconic imagery inherent to New York."