Joyce Carol Oates: He was a monumental literary presence' Photograph: Kyle Kielinski/The Guardian American writer Paul Auster was an anomaly: a thoroughly warm, witty, sympathetic, laughter-loving individual, with insatiable intellectual curiosity and a gift for friendship; at the same time, he was a monumental literary presence, somewhat intimidating for the zeal with which he immersed himself in his writing, near-overwhelming in the abundance of his creative energies.