Double Game

Double Game takes Paul Auster's novel Leviathan as its starting point, specifically focusing on the character Maria Turner, whom Auster based on Sophie Calle herself. In response, Calle decided to live out the fictional actions Auster invented for her character, documenting each experience. The book contains three distinct sections, with the first presenting annotated pages from Leviathan where Calle marks which parts were based on her real life versus Auster's inventions. The second section showcases Calle's photographic and written documentation of her performing Maria's fictional activities, while the third returns to Calle's original artworks that inspired Auster. Through photographs, texts, and collected artifacts, Double Game presents an intricate exchange between fact and fiction, author and subject, original and reproduction. The work embodies questions about identity, authenticity, and the boundaries between art and life.

Readers appreciate Calle's self-referential exploration of truth and fiction, particularly how she entwines her real artistic work with Paul Auster's fictional character in Leviathan. Multiple reviews note the book's unique physical design and high-quality reproductions of Calle's photographs and documentation. Common praise focuses on: - The meta-narrative structure - Detailed reproductions of Calle's original annotations - Production quality of the paper and binding Main criticisms: - Price point ($100+ for used copies) - Text can be difficult to read due to handwritten portions - Some find the concept overly complex Ratings: Goodreads: 4.32/5 (95 ratings) Amazon: 4.7/5 (6 ratings) One reader on AbeBooks commented: "The physical interaction with the book itself becomes part of the artistic experience." A Goodreads reviewer noted: "The layered storytelling between Auster's fiction and Calle's reality creates a fascinating puzzle." The book is currently out of print, making new copies rare.

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🎨 Sophie Calle recreated scenes from Paul Auster's novel "Leviathan," in which the character Maria was based on Calle herself, creating a fascinating meta-narrative between fiction and reality. 📝 The book contains actual pages torn from Auster's "Leviathan," which Calle annotated in red pen, marking the passages where Maria's actions matched her own real-life experiences. 🎭 During her work as a hotel maid in Venice (documented in the book), Calle photographed guests' belongings and read their diaries without their knowledge, blurring the lines between art, surveillance, and privacy. 🔄 The title "Double Game" refers to both Calle following Maria's fictional actions and Auster using Calle's real life as inspiration, creating a circular relationship between author and subject. 📚 The book's unique three-part structure includes Calle living out Maria's fictional life, documenting her own real projects that inspired Auster, and creating new works based on activities Auster invented for Maria that Calle had never actually done.