Inspired by the belief that their fiction can coexist even if their nations appear unable to do the same, Israeli Etgar Keret and Palestinian Samir El-youssef have engaged in a provocative artistic collaboration. In ‘Gaza Blues’, Keret and El-youssef have created a collection of darkly humorous tales that reflect the dreams and nightmares of living in Israel today, and in Lebanon during the first Intifada. In these stories an Israeli soldier vacuum seals himself inside an army-issue plastic sack; a woman who fears she has lost her husband’s affection superglues herself to her lounge room ceiling; a young Palestinian man deals with life, love and apathy in a refugee camp…Fiercely humorous, breathtakingly original and, above all, powerful, ‘Gaza Blues’ is a remarkable collection of stories by two hugely talented writers.