Yuvi’s alarm goes off and he wakes to find his father
standing outside his door, offering to drive him to the office. In this Groundhog
Day scenario, Yuvi has a chance to reverse the bad outcome of the previous
day’s tragedy. But will his fortunes be better this time around?
‘Autocorrect’ is one of the 33 short, short stories in Autocorrect
by Etgar Keret, translated by Jessica Cohen and Sondra
Silverston (Riverhead Books, May 27, 2025). Readers familiar with
Keret will be entertained by more examples of his creative imagination, while
those meeting him for the first time will encounter his original humorous insights
into Israeli culture and modern life, with a touch of science fiction thrown in
for good measure.
Time travel, aliens, and alternative realities all make
appearances in the stories, while others mirror our lives, showing imaginative
reflections of Israel and Israelis. Each of the stories satisfies in its own
unique way.
I had previously read many of the book’s stories in the
original Hebrew, but translators Cohen and Silverston do an excellent job of
showcasing Keret’s humor for English readers. No matter what the language, his
stories leave one eager to start the next one. Here are brief descriptions of
some of my favorites.
‘A World without Selfie Sticks’ - a life-changing reality
show from another world.
'Point of No Return' - the thin line between real life and
simulated real life.
'Genesis, Chapter 0' - beyond pain, and boredom, and fear,
everything becomes light.
‘For the Woman Who Has Everything’ - for the reader who has
read everything, something different.
The stories of Autocorrect are extremely short, but
they’ll leave you wanting more. We’re sure to meet the boundless creativity and
humor of Etgar Keret again very soon.
Etgar
Keret was born in Tel Aviv in 1967. His books have been
translated into 37 languages, and he has been published in the New York Times,
the Guardian, the New Yorker, Le Monde and other periodicals. Keret has written
a number of screenplays; “Jellyfish”, his first film as director alongside his
wife Shira Geffen, won the Caméra d’Or prize for best first feature at Cannes
in 2007. Keret has received the Chevalier Medallion of France's Ordre des Arts
et des Lettres (2010); the Charles Bronfman Prize (2016); and the Sapir
Prize for Literature (2018). His short story collection Fly Away
won the 2019 National Jewish Book Award for Fiction.
Jessica Cohen is a British-Israeli-American literary
translator who shared the 2017 International Booker Prize with author David
Grossman for her translation of A Horse Walks into a Bar.
Sondra Silverston is a native New Yorker who has
lived in Israel since 1970. She has translated works of Etgar Keret, Ayelet
Gundar-Goshen, Zeruya Shalev, and Savyon Liebrecht. Her translation of Amos
Oz’s Between Friends won the 2013 National Jewish Book Award
for fiction.
Originally posted on The Times of Israel.
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