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Sondra Silverston

Biography

Sondra Silverston

Sondra Silverston has translated the work of Israeli fiction writers such as Etgar Keret, Savyon Liebrecht and Aharon Megged. Her translation of Amos Oz’s BETWEEN FRIENDS won the National Jewish Book Award for fiction in 2013. Born in the United States, she has lived in Israel since 1970.

Sondra Silverston

Books by Sondra Silverston

written by Etgar Keret, translated by Jessica Cohen and Sondra Silverston - Fiction, Short Stories

Etgar Keret is the world’s most famous living Israeli writer. His work explores life’s smallest, most unremarkable interactions in ways that are profound and unusual. The characters populating his fiction live in a world of ever-advancing technology, but it is always degraded by the baseness of human passions and brutality. A character’s partner is a reality show contestant from a parallel dimension. Another finds that the asteroid they paid to have named after their wife is scheduled to collide with earth. An elderly widow convinces a popular AI program to commit suicide. These stories speak to our current moment in time: the uncertainty and fragility --- full of misunderstandings and miscommunications --- while looking for reasons and the strength to find hope.

written by Zeruya Shalev, translated by Sondra Silverston - Fiction, Women's Fiction

Ten years after she was seriously injured in a terrorist attack, the pain comes back to torment Iris. But that is not all: Eitan, the love of her youth, also comes back into her life. Though their relationship ended many years ago, she was more deeply wounded when he left her than by the suicide bomber who blew himself up next to her. Iris' marriage is stagnant. Her two children have grown up and are almost independent; she herself has become a dedicated, successful school principal. Now, after years without passion and joy, Eitan brings them back into her life. But she must concoct all sorts of lies to conceal her affair from her family, and the lies become more and more complicated.