I was first introduced to Kafka's writing during my compulsory army-service basic training. During that period, Kafka's fiction felt hyperrealistic. Etgar Keret armybasiccompulsory Change image and share on social
I don't have Facebook or Twitter accounts yet. Being a compulsive storyteller, I always make up for myself discouraging stories about how such accounts will get me into embarrassing and time-consuming situations. Etgar Keret accountcompulsiveconsume share on social
When I started writing my stories, I thought that not only nobody outside my language, but nobody outside my neighbourhood would get them. Etgar Keret languageneighbourhoodstart Change image and share on social
Most of the Jewish writer friends I have are American, and I feel closer to them because they're always obsessed with one issue - identity: what does it mean to be an American Jew? Etgar Keret americanclosefeel Change image and share on social
I used to feel that if I say something's wrong, I have to say how it could be made right. But what I learned from Kurt Vonnegut was that I could write stories that say I may not have a solution, but this is wrong - that's good enough. Etgar Keret feelgoodkurt share on social
I have to admit that talking authoritatively about my students' stories can make me feel, at times, like an astronaut who has just landed on a new planet and insists on giving guided tours to its inhabitants. Etgar Keret admitastronautauthoritatively share on social
In Israel, the role of the writer is dictated by the language in which you write. Writers see themselves as cultural prophets. Etgar Keret culturaldictateisrael Change image and share on social
Being ambivalent doesn't mean that you're a relevatist, that anything goes; it just means that you show the complexity of life. Life is always complex. Etgar Keret ambivalentcomplexcomplexity Change image and share on social
Writing a story is kind of like surfing, as opposed to the novel, where you use a GPS to get somewhere. With surfing, you kind of jump. Etgar Keret jumpkindoppose Change image and share on social
In Israel, there is this reduction of the political discourse to something that is very limited. It's as if you have that pitch that only dogs can hear. Sometimes I feel I speak at such a pitch that very few people around me communicate with what I'm saying. Etgar Keret communicatediscoursedog share on social
