...or are you happy to see us? 2 questions for Etgar Keret

Etgar Keret is the acclaimed author of several wonderful and widely translated short story collections, children's books, graphic novels, TV scripts, screenplays, and more. He's also the newest member of the failbetter family, via his short story “What Do We Have in Our Pockets?” And while we're on the subject:

Rumor has it that you wrote “What Do We Have in Our Pockets?” because your friends were asking you what's in your pockets. Can you tell us if this is true? Has anyone offered any interesting guesses, as to what you're carrying around in there?

I do carry a lot in my pockets. I'm a person who loses anything that isn't a part of him, so either I glue stuff to the back of my neck, or put it in my pockets.

And what is in your pockets?

A huge hope for a better future (that's why they are bulging) and some other stuff too: lots of keys, though in many cases I'm not sure which doors they open, and a lot of folded pieces of paper. Some of them are ideas for stories, others are phone numbers of people I'll probably never call, not to mention a lot of taxi receipts that never got to my accountant. If he reads this: Eitan, would it be OK if I just mail you my pants? It would be much easier than going through them myself...