Etgar Keret’s oeuvre eludes easy classification. When you first read his stories, they challenge assimilation into pre-existing schemas. I want to call them magical realism, or allegories, or perhaps absurdist art, but his work transcends any label into something wholly different. Keret, besides, or perhaps, because of his uniqueness of style, seamlessly crosses the boundaries of different forms of literature. He has written children’s books, short stories, comic books, as well as film and TV scripts. His stories, because of their slipperiness translate well into other mediums of art (See these short stop-action films based on Keret’s stories as proof: A Buck’s Worth and Crazy Glue)
The logo on Keret’s website depicts the iconic smiley face holding a gun to its head as blood and brain matter exit the other side. This image captures much of the sentiment of Keret’s stories: a mix of comic absurdity and tragedy.
It comes as no surprise then that FSG Originals and BOMB magazine are taking advantage of Keret’s amorphous artistic borders to run a contest for art inspired by Keret’s work. The winner will not only receive a $500 dollar cash prize but will have their work published in either the upcoming release of Keret’s newest short story collection in translation, Suddenly, a Knock on the Door or in an unannounced film. If you count yourself as a newbie to Keret then I suggest you begin with the wrenching story The Nimrod Flip-out, or for those artists out there looking for inspiration see the previous Youtube videos and check out this Tumblr site which contains all the technical details of this contest as well as some great links to a nice amount of Keret goodies. Good luck to all those who enter, and to all those Keret virgins, enjoy discovering this gift of a talent.