Suddenly A Knock On The Door
Etgar Keret
Suddenly A Knock On The Door
Etgar Keret
From the critically acclaimed master short-story teller Etgar Keret, his long-awaited and biggest selling collection - the first in nearly ten years.
Etgar Keret is an ingenious and original master of the short story. Hilarious, witty and always unusual, declared a ‘genius’ by the New York Times, Keret brings all of his prodigious talent to bear in this, his sixth bestselling collection. Long a household name in Israel, where he has been declared the voice of his generation, Keret has been acknowledged as one of the country’s most radical and extraordinary writers. Exuding a rare combination of depth and accessibility, Keret’s tales overflow with absurdity, humour, longing and compassion, and though their circumstances are often strange and surreal, his characters are defined by a familiar and fierce humanity. A man barges into a writer’s house and, holding a gun to his head, demands that he tell him a story, something to take him away from the real world. A pathological liar discovers one day that all the lies he tells come true. A young woman finds a zip in her boyfriend’s mouth, and when she opens it he unfolds to reveal a completely different man inside. Suddenly, A Knock On The Door is at once Keret’s most mature and most playful work yet, and establishes him as one of the great global writers of our time.
Etgar Keret is the author of the short story collections- Kneller’s Happy Campers, Missing Kissinger and The Nimrod Flip-Out.
Review
Scott Noble, Readings St Kilda
Declared a genius by The New York Times, Israeli author Etgar Keret has a new, long-awaited collection of short stories, Suddenly a Knock on the Door. He’s been a hit at the Adelaide and Ubud (Bali) writers’ festivals in recent years, had a story in a recent edition of The New Yorker – and he will be visiting our shores this month. If you haven’t familiarised yourself with Keret’s snappy, often darkly funny stories, now is the perfect time to make his acquaintance.
Keret serves up short sharp treats, overflowing with satire, absurdity and realism – which are dark, funny, strange and even occasionally cruel. He is more interested in his situations than his characters, who are often flat and functional – but with humanity that is at times familiar, then completely foreign. Keret’s surreal stories encompass the living and the dead, talking animals, and more. This collection includes an extraordinary tale of a woman who finds a zip in her boyfriend’s mouth; and in the superb opening story, a request for a story – from an author suffering writers’ block – takes a dark twist.
Keret began writing stories to find ‘a place to hide from life itself’ and this collection feels just like that – and as such, doesn’t invite continuous reading. Read a few, put it down, go experience the real world and then come back. You will be rewarded.
Scott Noble is manager of Readings St Kilda.
This item is not currently in-stock. It can be ordered online and is expected to ship in approx 3 weeks
Our stock data is updated periodically, and availability may change throughout the day for in-demand items. Please call the relevant shop for the most current stock information. Prices are subject to change without notice.
Sign in or become a Readings Member to add this title to a wishlist.
