Background
Austen was born into a working-class Jewish family and grew up in The Bronx, New New York
Austen was born into a working-class Jewish family and grew up in The Bronx, New New York
In 1950, when Vidal met Auster, had just graduated and was struggling to find work writing advertising copy.
lieutenant was reported that Austen wanted to have a career as a singer. At Vidal"s suggestion, he changed his surname from "Auster" to "Austen" "after advertising firms refused to hire him because he was Jewish." Immediately after he changed his name, he was hired at Doyle, Dane & Bernbach, which was considered very good house, and is known as Doyle Dane Bernbach today. Austen would go on to become a stage manager for Broadway shows in the 1950s and 1960s.
He also worked in film, assisting with the casting of the classic 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird.