Loading...
31st out of 113 books
—
20 voters
My rating:
add to my books
The Bus Driver Who Wanted to Be God and Other Stories
by
Etgar Keret
Israel's hippest bestselling young writer today, Etgar Keret is part court jester, part literary crown prince, part national conscience. The Bus Driver Who Wanted to Be God gathers his daring and provocative short stories for the first time in English. Brief, intense, painfully funny, and shockingly honest, Keret's stories are snapshots that illuminate with intelligence an...more
Paperback, 130 pages
Published
January 28th 2004
by Toby Press
(first published January 28th 2001)
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
sign in »
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
1,745)
A convenience store at the mouth of hell? A uterus on display at a museum? An afterlife for suicides that is just a little suckier than this one?
Etgar Keret is awesome. These stories grab you by the throat and don't let up. Although they seldom exceed five tiny pages, they are memorable and powerful. His style is unlike anything I've read before.
I originally heard about Keret when I saw a trailer for "Wristcutters: A Love Story." This fine film starred a man bas...more
Etgar Keret is awesome. These stories grab you by the throat and don't let up. Although they seldom exceed five tiny pages, they are memorable and powerful. His style is unlike anything I've read before.
I originally heard about Keret when I saw a trailer for "Wristcutters: A Love Story." This fine film starred a man bas...more
view 2 comments
There's something about a three-page story, like a 45-second pop song, that usually leaves me wanting. All conceptual riff, no cattle. Or something like that.
But there were a few stories here that turned on a dime from absurdist punk to pathos, took some smirky wise-ass jape (a pet named Rabin) and wrung something funny and political then sad in four pages flat. At its best, and this collection is pretty uniformly at its best, the stories made me immediately turn to read them agai...more
But there were a few stories here that turned on a dime from absurdist punk to pathos, took some smirky wise-ass jape (a pet named Rabin) and wrung something funny and political then sad in four pages flat. At its best, and this collection is pretty uniformly at its best, the stories made me immediately turn to read them agai...more
На крак в книжарницата - първите два разказа са просто разкошни - с астмата и рождения ден. Жалко, че късата проза (и като цяло поезия) са ми така трудни - тъкмо започнат, и вземат че свършат. Затова на малки хапки :-)
It was very different. Here's a quick like/ dislike breakdown though, in case anyone is interested:
dislikes:
1. Some of the stories just ended abruptly. I think this is really Keret's style and it is intentional more than it is lazy. But a lot of times a story would be over and I would feel like, "...SO??"
2. Some of the language in the book sounds racist or homophobic. I don't think Keret himself is racist or homophobic, but he feels the need to portray a l...more
dislikes:
1. Some of the stories just ended abruptly. I think this is really Keret's style and it is intentional more than it is lazy. But a lot of times a story would be over and I would feel like, "...SO??"
2. Some of the language in the book sounds racist or homophobic. I don't think Keret himself is racist or homophobic, but he feels the need to portray a l...more
A few months ago, my Early Modern European Witch-Hunting professor Dr. Richard M. Golden encouraged our class to attend a campus event he was putting together: a film screening and Q&A session with Etgar Keret, the Jewish-Israeli writer and film director. He even tempted us with extra credit points on our midterm–and this, for me, sealed the deal!
But I couldn’t attend this Q&A session without some idea of what I was to expect. I had never before heard of Keret, who, though internatio...more
But I couldn’t attend this Q&A session without some idea of what I was to expect. I had never before heard of Keret, who, though internatio...more
I guess I'm not hip enough to really "get" Etgar Keret's short short stories. They remind me a little of Steve Martin's short stories, deadpan little set pieces that you have to be a bit skewed yourself to really enjoy. Are his stories often amusing? Yes. Well-crafted? Generally. But they have a certain shallowness of affect to them that makes them hard to love. Unlike the flash fictions of Vollmann or Kawabata, they are too short and too unfeeling to cause one to bond with thei...more
I want to give this book five stars as I was absolutely mesmerized by most of these stories. Those who know me know that I love short-short stories anyway, but these were unlike much of what I have read in my lifetime. They are beautiful and bleak.
But, as many others have said in their reviews here on goodreads, there is a very strong racist and homophobic thread running through the characters of nearly all of these stories. I don't know if this is being played out as a statement ...more
But, as many others have said in their reviews here on goodreads, there is a very strong racist and homophobic thread running through the characters of nearly all of these stories. I don't know if this is being played out as a statement ...more
I'm not generally a reader of short stories. They leave me feeling like I've had a snack when I'd rather have a meal. But when I watched the movie Wristcutters and saw that it's based on an Etgar Keret short story called "Kneller's Happy Campers," I was intrigued enough to give this collection a try. I'm glad I did. The stories are all a bit cracked, and deal with dark topics in a matter-of-fact and funny way.
My personal favorites were the title story, "Breaking th...more
My personal favorites were the title story, "Breaking th...more
Etgar Keret has been decorated the prestigious title of Israel's hippest young writer, and from what I’ve read by his books, The Bus Driver Who Wanted to Be God, The Nimrod Flip Out, and Gazza Blues, he's worthy of the title.
His work is, as noted on Amazon, snapshots that illuminate with intelligence and wit. Hilarity and anguish are the twin pillars of his work. Keret covers a remarkable emotional and narrative terrain - from a father's first lesson to his boy to a standoff between...more
His work is, as noted on Amazon, snapshots that illuminate with intelligence and wit. Hilarity and anguish are the twin pillars of his work. Keret covers a remarkable emotional and narrative terrain - from a father's first lesson to his boy to a standoff between...more
Short stories are hit or miss–for me, the format often makes it too easy to put a book down, and too difficult to get engrossed. But Keret manages to avoid that trap; Bus Driver would be as enjoyable as a toilet-side read as it was a curled-up-in-bed one. The stories are quick, accessible and uniquely voiced (my favorite line: “Some children have to run away from home in the middle of the night to join the circus, but Dad took me in his car.”) But they touch on themes far beyond their brevity. P...more
I decided to check out this author based on a single recommendation and no expectations, the latter of which is a good thing because whatever expectations I would have had would have been way off base. These stories are tiny little nuggets--with the exception of the closing novella, I think the longest clocks in at 8 pages--of comedy and miscommunication and moments of stunning insightfulness brought to us by an assortment of bizarre characters and events. The writing is crisp and sparkly (oh, y...more
The book I was reading in the few days I hemmed and hawed about flying out to Oregon...hoping that every phone call was the "she's gonna make it!" or "she's come back!" or "she's eating, weak but smiling!" phone call.
There is one short story about a young man whose mother dies in this book...and the grief attacking him while driving pointlessly in the rain (or that's how I remember it).
I considered it a gift from the universe.
There is one short story about a young man whose mother dies in this book...and the grief attacking him while driving pointlessly in the rain (or that's how I remember it).
I considered it a gift from the universe.
I'm not sure if I heard about this author before or after seeing the film "Wristcutters: A Love Story", which is adapted from one of his longer (like 25 pages) stories. But that gives you an idea of his weird material. Most of the stories are incredibly short, ranging from 2 to 4 pages, some more fanciful than others, all rather offbeat and frankly told. You might expect them to show up in some weekly alt paper. The back of the cover says that young modern Israelis feel Keret best repr...more
The cover of this book proclaims it to be a collection of "laugh-out-loud-funny" stories. It also claims to be "warped and wonderful." Personally, I'd go with the second description. While there are funny moments, the overwhelming mood of each of these stories is quite sad. Many involve death and disappointment, although most times the characters are pretty much complacent with their lives, knowing there is not much they can do about it. More than one describe Hell as perce...more
Добър автор, добър преводач, добро оформление и добри истории. Какво повече да кажа? :)
Искам да прочета и други неща...
Искам да прочета и други неща...
The Bus Driver Who Wanted to be God & Other Stories is a collection of stories by the popular Israeli author Etgar Keret. The author I was most reminded of while reading the collection is Roald Dahl. It contained much of the same kind of off-beat humor and unexpected twists that I love Dahl for, although in Keret’s collection the stories were basically brief comedic gags and the twists were just a part of the humor where as Dahl’s stories tend to be longer mysteries and all the dark humor is inc...more
I received this book as a gift, specifically because it contains the short story "Kneller's Happy Campers" on which one of my favourite films (Wristcutters: A Love Story) is based. I had never previously picked it up because I had only seen disheartening reviews comparing the short story to the film.
Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised. Both the story in question (and many others, including the title story) are smart and sort of amusing, without being pretentious. Th...more
Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised. Both the story in question (and many others, including the title story) are smart and sort of amusing, without being pretentious. Th...more
Etgar Keret is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers, and each of his books is a joy to read. This was the first of his three English-translated collections, and there are some pieces here that stand among his best.
In terms of quality and cohesiveness, this collection falls somewhere in between his masterpiece "The Nimrod Flipout," and the spottier grab-bag, "Girl on the Fridge."
Aside from having many excellent short-shorts, "Bus Driver"...more
In terms of quality and cohesiveness, this collection falls somewhere in between his masterpiece "The Nimrod Flipout," and the spottier grab-bag, "Girl on the Fridge."
Aside from having many excellent short-shorts, "Bus Driver"...more
I originally bought this book because I love the movie Wristcutters, and like the majority of book to silver screen adaptations, I was prepared to not be impressed. I was delightfully corrected in my assumptions. The book is better than the movie, and the short stories before Kneller's Happy Campers only added more spice, and depth, and feeling. The stories I recommend are The son of the Head of Mossad and Pipes, and I must be honest and admit I prefer the written version of Kneller's Happy Cam...more
getting ready to read this again. Can't quite grasp why I am drawn to israeli/jewish writers when I feel lost.
*Update*
I jotted down some notes when I read this, still kind of rough:
keret: I believe some of this is intended or proposed that human beings should perhaps dial down their illusions of control, that we often drive ourselves mad with the frantic loop of thought (meant as a problem solving effort but is often just a vortex of over analysis) when ...more
*Update*
I jotted down some notes when I read this, still kind of rough:
keret: I believe some of this is intended or proposed that human beings should perhaps dial down their illusions of control, that we often drive ourselves mad with the frantic loop of thought (meant as a problem solving effort but is often just a vortex of over analysis) when ...more
weird, in the best sense of the word. i'd been meaning to read this for a few years now, ever since the movie 'wristcutters' came out and charmed me by its pitch-perfect inclusion of tom waits, and i will say i am really glad i finally did. these stories are odd, perfect little portraits of weirdos in a weird world (so, all of us, basically). in a few pages at a time, keret skillfully sets a mood and creates unforgettable, almost archetypal, simply-drawn characters, and builds a story around the...more
Lindsey
rated it
Recommends it for:
suicides, mario & luigi, anyone filled with a deep sense of regret
Shelves:
short-fiction,
read-in-2009
I hate to say this, but I didn't find this collection of short stories half as enjoyable as The Nimrod Flip Out. Granted, that's a pretty tall order, but these stories completely lack the spark so present in Keret's other collection. They didn't seem nearly as vivid, and a few were very uncomfortable to read. I feel these stories were definitely harder to extract from their context as modern Israeli fiction. While this element was present in Nimrod as well, those stories had a more universal fee...more
The book had so much promise, and some of the stories have the random brilliance of a James Tate poem. There must be a better collection out there somewhere.
About: "A Souvenir of Hell": It takes on the structure of a love story, but then departs from it troublingly in crucial ways. The protagonist falls for a man from hell, pines for him, then is willing to take another who, maybe, looks like him. There is the possibility of a child, but it turns out to be an illness. All alo...more
About: "A Souvenir of Hell": It takes on the structure of a love story, but then departs from it troublingly in crucial ways. The protagonist falls for a man from hell, pines for him, then is willing to take another who, maybe, looks like him. There is the possibility of a child, but it turns out to be an illness. All alo...more
These are marvelous stories. Etgar Keret's voice is natural, and the stories unpretentious, offering a snapshot of a small slice of life -- be it a girlfriend demanding proof from a boyfriend that he loves her by bringing her his mother's heart (Missing Kissinger) or the irony of a father teaching a son how to value an object he wants by saving up money for it in a piggy-bank, only to have the boy interpret his teaching literally by forming an even deeper attachment to the piggy bank (Breaking ...more
I'm going to be honest, the only reason I picked up The Bus Driver Who Wanted To Be Godby Etgar Keret was for the story "Kneller's Happy Campers," which was adapted into the film Wristcutters. I haven't watched movie yet, mostly because I wanted to read the story. It's silly, I know, but sometimes reading the story first allows me to watch the movie comfortably. What I didn't know was that Etgar Keret's collection of short stories is a translation. I've mentioned how translations tend ...more
I almost gave this book three stars, because I did like it, but then again; I think I disliked it more than I liked it (if that makes any sort of sense.)
OK, let me explain:
I read it because I was intregued after seeing "Wristcutters: A Love Story," the recent film release based on Keret's novella: Kneller's Happy Campers. The film itself was only O.K. (in my opinion) and I probably wouldn't have thought twice about it, excpet for the fact that Mr. Tom Waits is in it, and w...more
OK, let me explain:
I read it because I was intregued after seeing "Wristcutters: A Love Story," the recent film release based on Keret's novella: Kneller's Happy Campers. The film itself was only O.K. (in my opinion) and I probably wouldn't have thought twice about it, excpet for the fact that Mr. Tom Waits is in it, and w...more
I read the first 3-4 stories when I first picked this book up, and then finished the rest this past week. I was really impressed by this collection. His stories are funny, complex, sometimes profound, and very relevant (how many review bingo words did I get there?). I expected quirky but I really don't think they are.
The last piece reminded me of a Kelly Link story (there are lots of other similarities there) and would like to read both of them again back to back.
The last piece reminded me of a Kelly Link story (there are lots of other similarities there) and would like to read both of them again back to back.
I honestly got the book for "Kneller's Campers" just because of the Wristcutters... movie and well I was a bit disappointed in the translation for a few of the stories. Not that I am capable of reading Hebrew but I feel like "Kneller's Campers" and a few other stories just seemed a bit off. I liked "The Bus Driver Who Wanted To Be God" though. Keret is definitely one of the few writers that I feel is capable of creating morbidly comedic stories that are enjoyable...more
This is an awesome collection of short stores by and Israeli professor/writer, translated from Hebrew. The titular story really isn't all that great, but I loved "Shoes" and one about rolling marbles to disappear from this world and another about refusing to break a open piggy bank. Often painful to read, sometimes funny, and always provocative. I read a bunch of these to my campers too, and they were always begging for more. The novela at the end was a little disappointing. The m...more
I love Etgar Keret, and I think I like this collection more than The Nimrod Flipout, which I read a few years ago. This one has "Kneller's Happy Campers", which was the basis for the movie "Wristcutters", and a story that I read in Hebrew class. Keret's stories are incredibly short (with the one exception being "Kneller's Happy Campers", the longest Keret story I've ever read), and often absurd. It's a little jarring moving from one story to the next so quickly, but...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Etgar Keret is an Israeli writer known for his short stories, graphic novels, and scriptwriting for film and television.
More about Etgar Keret...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“There are two kinds of people, those who like to sleep next to the wall, and those who like to sleep next to the people who push them off the bed.”
—
36 people liked it
“I think she cried at my funeral. It's not that I'm conceited or anything, but I'm pretty sure. Sometimes I can actually picture her talking about me to some guy she feels close to. Talking about me dying. About how they lowered me into the grave, kind of shrivelled up and pitiful, like an old chocolate bar. About how we never really got a chance. And afterwards the guy fucks her, a fuck that's all about making her feel better.”
—
10 people liked it
More quotes…
