There are two kinds of people, those who like to sleep next to the wall, and those who like to sleep next to the people who push them off the bed.
Etgar KeretI see creative-writing classes as some sort of AA meeting. It is more of a support group for people who write than an actual course in which you learn writing skills. This support group is extremely important because there is something very lonely about writing.
Etgar KeretThe reason I write is that I'm not in dialogue with my emotions; writing puts me in touch with myself.
Etgar KeretI was born at six months, and I weighed 900 grams [less than two pounds]. I have a very heroic birth story.
Etgar KeretIn the army you feel violated - there's no private space. Writing was a life-saver, a way of recovering private territory.
Etgar KeretWhen my works are being translated, I always get this question from my translators: Up or down? Which means, should it sound biblical and highbrow, or should we take it all down to sound colloquial? In Hebrew, it's both all the time. People in Israel would write in a high register, they wouldn't write colloquial speech. I do a special take on colloquial speech.
Etgar Keret