In Israel, the role of the writer is dictated by the language in which you write. Writers see themselves as cultural prophets.
Etgar KeretI think living in Israel and wanting to change reality is the best prescription for never-ending writer's block.
Etgar KeretWhat connects me so strongly to Israel is the fact that I'm second generation. My parents said, "We have a place where we can just be ourselves and nobody says, 'Don't tell me your opinion, you damn Jew, go somewhere else.'" Then you go to this country and other Jews tell you to shut up. It's frustrating. I think that we have a bad government and that some people are fearful. They're going with the class bully. But I really truly believe - you read it in my stories - that deep inside, people have goodness.
Etgar KeretHe misses the feeling of creating something out of something. Thatโs right โ something out of something. Because something out of nothing is when you make something up out of thin air, in which case it has no value. Anybody can do that. But something out of something means it was really there the whole time, inside you, and you discover it as part of something new, thatโs never happened before.
Etgar Keret