Contemporary Israeli Fiction Filter: Recommendations?

December 18, 2009 11:39 AM

Contemporary Israeli Fiction Filter: recommendations?

I'm almost done reading Shammas' Arabesques, which I like, but isn't quite what I was after (the main characters are Christian Arab Israeli, and kind of deal with Israeli culture by, well.. ignoring it). I've already read a lot of Palestinian & Egyptian lit, and no other Israeli lit; I'd like something that focuses more on modern Israel, rather than other groups in Israel.

The only two other Israeli authors I know of are Meir Shalev & A.B. Yehoshua, which are my only leads at the moment. Any recommendations for particular books, or other authors? Modern, post-modern, whatever doesn't bother me.

For bonus points: any recent books from Levantine or Egyptian authors that aren't, er, very heavy? Not that it has to be cheerful, exactly, but the trend seems to be to write about impoverished, repressed, marginalized groups, oppressive or corrupt governments, etc., and after > 5 books like this I'd like to read something a bit different.

posted by devilsbrigade to writing & language (8 answers total)

Etgar Keret's The Nimrod Flipout. Short stories, contemporary alienated Israelis, a little bit of magic realism.

If you're up for a graphic novel, Exit Wounds by Rutu Modan.
posted by hydrophonic at 11:46 AM on December 18, 2009 [2 favorites]

Check out Amos Oz (although he is definitely dark)... A Tale of Love and Darkness
posted by bookgirl18 at 11:56 AM on December 18, 2009

David Grossman?
posted by liketitanic at 12:33 PM on December 18, 2009

Meir Shalev is good.

Dina Rubina's Here Comes the Messiah! is a pretty amazing book, but the only thing I've read by her.
posted by Sidhedevil at 1:44 PM on December 18, 2009

A.B. Yehoshua - A Woman in Jerusalem
posted by ranunculus at 1:56 PM on December 18, 2009

Definitely Oz (my favorite is Elsewhere, Perhaps) and Grossman (my favorite is Someone to Run With. See Under: Love is also a classic). I also like Savyon Liebrecht's short stories.
posted by leesh at 2:25 PM on December 18, 2009

Seconding Etgar Keret.
posted by spasm at 4:10 PM on December 18, 2009

Absolutely love Etgar Keret and Amos Oz. Yehoshua was interesting, and I didn't like Shalev at all, but I've been told that's culturally to be expected.
posted by devilsbrigade at 9:43 PM on May 7, 2010