Etgar Keret Brings Life to Death
A man of many accolades, Kerethas written at least five books translated into 22 languages, and severalscreenplays including Israeli Oscar winner Skin Deep in 2006. His short stories have been the basis of over 40 short filmsand one of the most famous films featuring Patrick Fugit and ShannonSossamon, Wristcutters: A Love Story in 2007. Aside from writing, he made his directing debut with his wifeShira Geffen in 2007 on the movie Jellyfish.
Keret’s stories generallyhave a dark comedic undertone focusing on death or the afterlife. Whenasked why this is an important theme in his work, he replied life isan interesting subject to him and it only seems natural to write aboutthe opposite of such.
Another interesting questionasked was whom does Keret look up to for inspiration. His answer spawneda very interesting reaction to myself as a writer. “I don’t likeit when people look up to someone, especially authors or artists. Lookthem in the eye. Don’t look at them as pillars of wisdom, that’sdangerous,†he said.
This led into how to constructa story, what is the proper form? Keret said this is another dangerousconception. “Writing; its’ about an urge, not beautiful construction.â€Why someone feels the need to create is much more important than thisAmerican idea of uniformity even in the arts.
Meeting the author behind someof my favorite stories from books like The Bus Driver Who Wantedto be God (2004) and The Girl from the Fridge (2008) gave me more insight into the stories themselves. Although Icould easily been intimidated by such a literary force, his ideas ofbeauty found in human weakness and unconventional artistic compositionwas inspiring but not dictating.
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