When I write, I never know the endings. What I think works in [my] stories is the fact that when I write, I really want to find out what is going on-I'm writing for myself as a reader. It's like when you dream a dream. I want to know what's behind the door. If I navigate, it's from a place that's totally intuitive.

What you experience in the army, aged 18 to 21, is what you take through all your life. You cross invisible lines: you shoot someone, get shot, break into people's houses. It's naive to think you won't carry anything into your life.

If we're a family and your brother wishes you death, it's not a very happy family.

I don't need art to tell me people are assholes. I can just go into the streets.

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.

I think living in Israel and wanting to change reality is the best prescription for never-ending writer's block.

It's kind of a reflex for me to ignore my own wishes and think about other people first.