Etgar Keret Quotes & Sayings (Page 2)

“I was first introduced to Kafka's writing during my compulsory army-service basic training. During that period, Kafka's fiction felt hyperrealistic.”

“My stories are very compact. I want them to say the most complex things in the simplest way.”

“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.”

“Before I started to make films, I didn't give much thought to the way the characters were physically positioned in the story world.”

“I always have a story in my head that needs to be written, or at least I think I do. But I usually can't find the time to write it.”

“In Israel, the role of the writer is dictated by the language in which you write. Writers see themselves as cultural prophets.”

“In the army you feel violated - there's no private space. Writing was a life-saver, a way of recovering private territory.”

“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.”

“Being published in Arabic is a strong and consistent wish I have. I live in the Middle East and want to be in some sort of an unpragmatic dialogue with my neighbors.”

“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.”