'Etgar Keret's short stories are fierce, funny, full of energy and insight, and at the same time they are often deep, tragic and very moving.' - Amos Oz. A magician tries to pull a rabbit out of a hat, but takes out only its head; a guy brings a girl home with him for the first time only to find that his best friend has pissed on his doorstep; a young man graduates from Magician School but soon discovers that he can't do everything; two drunk students do battle with a pavement and win; someone has a mother and a girlfriend who hate each other's guts, and they both demand that he gives them the other one's heart...many of the characters in these stories are waiting for something to change their lives, many of them can't quite reach ultimate happiness, some of them are sick, some are abandoned, and most have trouble communicating. The unexpected can, and usually does, happen. Etgar Keret's stories are very short - and every word counts. They are quick, brief and precise, and they move us without hesitation. They are hilarious and off-the-wall, yet also dark, sometimes violent, and often intensely poignant. They are, in short, brilliant.

Author Biography

Born in Tel Aviv in 1967, Etgar Keret is one of the leading voices in Israeli literature and cinema. In the last twelve years he has published four books of short stories and novellas, four graphic novels and one feature screenplay. His story collections, bestsellers in Israel, have been published in nineteen different languages. His movie, Malka Red-Heart, won the Israeli 'Oscar', as well as acclaim at several international film festivals. His first collection to be published in the UK was The Nimrod Flip-Out. Keret lectures at Tel Aviv University's School of Film.