Assaf Gavron

In the organizer's words:

Everybody be cool

Literature

What if the world is a completely new place - and only people remain the same?

In two stories, Assaf Gavron, Israeli bestselling author, explores the question of how people shape their lives, perhaps even make life-changing decisions - when they can hardly orient themselves on anything familiar anymore:

In the not-too-distant future, a young woman is standing in a virtual queue in front of a virtual bank counter in the midst of a pandemic when the unbelievable happens: a bank robbery. The woman feverishly tries to find out what a "bank robbery" actually is with the help of her AI-assisted helper. But the further she investigates, the more unclear it becomes what is actually happening - and how to recognize it beyond doubt: reality.

The year is 2066 when Ami Allalouf is called back to his home town. The world has long since changed - environmental disasters and technological innovations have rapidly transformed the Middle East: Israel belongs in a union of states with Palestine, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon; human labor is almost superfluous, prosperity is shared equally among all. But now Ami's father, who wants to hand over his flourishing construction company to the general public against the family's wishes, has fallen seriously ill. Ami soon realizes that this illness may not have a natural origin. Now he has to decide: who does he feel more committed to - his own family or the common good?

Assaf Gavron, born in 1968, grew up in Jerusalem and studied in London and Vancouver. He has published several novels and a collection of short stories and has translated Jonathan Safran Foer and J.D. Salinger, among others, into Hebrew. Gavron is the singer and songwriter of the Israeli cult band "The Mouth and Foot" and co-developed the computer game "Peacemaker", which simulates the Middle East conflict. He lives with his family in Tel Aviv.

The book was published by Luchterhand Verlag and translated from Hebrew by Stefan Siebers.

Language: English

With the kind support of the Embassy of the State of Israel

Price information:

Normal € 9.90 Reduced € 6.90 Members € 4.90 Surcharge at the Box Office