Etgar Keret’s newest translated venture, Suddenly, a Knock on the Door, is creating a good buzz. Keret was recently interviewed in front of a Chicago audience by fellow fiction writer Nathan Englander, with whom he appears to share a happy creative synergy (Englander’s latest, What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank, credits Keret with supplying the inspiration for not one but two of the collection’s stories). Read a review of Keret’s latest in Portland’s own
Mercury.
-
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
Archives
Categories
Meta
It’s no wonder that mine will be the first comenmt here. I have listened twice and it’s difficult and painful really.If only those, including and perhaps especially those onlookers living elsewhere in the larger diaspora, not the Israeli diapora, who are sure they are right about situation (I include myself) could stop and say I really don’t know what should be done and take a deep breath to let that sink in- perhaps then. The image of the asthmatic I am not living in Israel. And I could not. Who want’s to join this communal despondency- that which does not seem to get better after each ( false? sincere?) attempt at peace. Keret seems sad and I don’t have to wonder why. The Israeli side wants to celebrate and the celebration is marred because the other is mourning. It’s not just at this time.Something magical is needed to snap both sides out of this pit of spiritual blackness.The image of the loveless couple attached at the lips could not be more perfect.Some notes I took away: the quicksand of hope not allowed to be confused postponing deeper questions going along confusion and ambiguity repeating things that once had meaning the Jewish diaspora of Israel (need of a) dissenting Socratic voice the story of people who don’t belong
I love him too, and he’s much better in Hebrew and not hard to read at all, very meordn and slangy. It doesn’t actually translate to English well. It’s one set of books I’ve read all through in Hebrew.