As a writer my primary objective is to show some sort of ambiguity in life, and this ambiguity also exists in the political realm. It doesn’t mean that I don’t know right from wrong, I just don’t think that the stronger power is the one that tells people how to do things.
Eleanor Wachtel spoke with Etgar Keret, via video conference from Tel Aviv, at the Jewish Book Festival in Vancouver.
I believe that there is a truth. I believe it is very difficult to articulate that truth. I try to go in that direction, but I don’t pretend I will get there.
My father said to me once, “In half of your stories the father character dies and in the other half he is just plain stupid, but in all of them I feel that you love me.” I think many stories say something that is more complex, ambiguous, and contradictory than just a clear, if coded, message.
I really don’t know if Maya has fallen out of love with her husband or is just afraid that she has, or, maybe, is actually afraid that her husband has stopped loving her. I don’t know that because Maya herself doesn’t. If she knew herself and her feelings so well, I believe she would have chosen a more pragmatic hobby than writing.
What to do with a pick up line for a Chinese midget.
Useful lies on the way to becoming a writer:
- Telling people you're a computer genius
- Faking an asthma attack
- Complimenting old, fat ladies
