Apparently, many women in Park Slope are aware of Paul Auster. It’s pretty hard not to be. "He’s so handsome," a friend told me yesterday as we walked past PS 321.

Another friend yelped when I mentioned his name. "He is so gorgeous," she squealed.

So I’m not the only one. It’s all in the eyes: they’re so dark and penetrating. His low voice; the way he seems to be deep in throught when he walks around Park Slope. Plus,  he wears such nice shirts.

I remember when playwright/movie star Sam Shepard was "the thinking woman’s sex symbol." He won a Pulitzer prize for his play, "Buried Child" and starred in  "Paris, Texas", "The Right Stuff", and "Days of Heaven". There was something about Sam..

But we in Park Slope may have a new candidate.

Paul Auster.  Why not?

He’s a world-class writer, a real innovator. He speaks French, makes wonderful independent movies and lives in a brownstone in Brooklyn. He is said to be a very generous, good person and has stayed married to a famous writer for years. He also has a dog.

What more could you want in a sex symbol?

Really.

P.S. Thanks to a friend who dropped off a copy of THE NEW YORK TRILOGY at my apartment. I’m going to start reading it this morning. On the subway. But I promise to be more careful.