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Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Sebastian Ritscher
Original language
English
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JERUSALEM BEACH

Iddo Gefen

This is a breathtaking debut of fourteen short stories that all take place in Israel's here and now. Sad and funny and full of wisdom and truth, this collection marks a new generation of Israeli literature. Anything but trivial, Gefen uses this pop culture appeal to deal with the core psychological issues facing the Y generation
At once compassionate, philosophical, and humorous, Jerusalem Beach is a foray into the human condition in all its contradictions. Through a series of snapshots of contemporary life in Israel, Gefen reveals a world that's a step from the familiar.

A man's grandfather joins an army platoon of geriatrics looking for purpose in old age. A scheming tech start-up exposes the dire consequences of ambition in trying to share human memories. An elderly couple searches for a beach that doesn't exist. And, a boy mourns his brother's death in an attempt to catch time like flies in his fist.

Entirely heartfelt and infused with pathos, Jerusalem Beach is an exploration of both technology and the brain. Whether ruminating on the stakes of familial love or pitching the reader headlong into the absurdity of success and failure, Gefen leaves the reader intrigued throughout.

Iddo Gefen was born in 1992 in Israel and currently resides in Tel Aviv. He works in neurocognitive research at the The Immersive Media & Cognition Group in Sagol Brain Institute, Sourasky Medical Center and Tel Aviv University, exploring how storytelling can improve our understanding of the human mind. Iddo leads an innovative study to diagnose aspects of Parkinson's disease using storytelling and augmented reality. Jerusalem Beach is his debut collection, and recipient of the Israeli Minister of Culture Award (2017); Iddo won the National Library of Israel "Pardes" Scholarship for young writers (2019). His debut novel, Mrs. Lilienblum's Cloud Factory, will be published by Astra House in 2022.
Available products
Book

Published 2021-08-17 by Astra House

Book

Published 2021-08-17 by Astra House

Comments

(Gefen) accomplishes what debut writers are not usually able to do to aim the arrow, have it sail smoothly, until it hits the target where the reader's dreams, memories and barrage of emotions are stirred, as all great literature does.

Exit' is a powerful, heartrending story without an ounce of excess fat. 'The Meaning of Life Ltd.' is sharp, precise and measured. but the best story in this collection, I find, is 'Three Hours from Berlin.' Not only the best in the book, but one of the best I've read in some time. Sad and funny and full of wisdom and truth.

The stories in Iddo Gefen's Jerusalem Beach are a series of original, and many times truly inspiring, attempts to seek and fi nd humanity and tenderness at the least predictable places.

Holland: Signatuur ; Korea: Munhaksegye

Iddo Gefen is the voice of his generation. But he's also a voice that's somewhat wiser than his generation; one that observes from the sidelines... The Jerusalem Beach is a fresh, imaginative and bold debut, worthy of the reader's attention.

Ironic, stirring, funny and exhilarating 'Jerusalem Beach' is a brilliant debut, and Gefen may be the best Israeli short story writer since Etgar Keret.