Thursday, March 19, 2015

Tel Aviv Noir



Tel Aviv Noir is an exciting and eclectic round of short stories.  There are many surprises in this collection, and for those who do not read Hebrew, many new names whose work has never been translated into English.  

Despite the title, this collection very seldom falls into genre traps.  Whatever formulaic demands the writers make to creating a “noir” story are offset by vibrant characterization and plot twists. 

But like any collection of diverse stories, some will hit the reader while others will miss the mark.  But the overall tenor of this collection is excellent, and there is enough punch to offset the occasional misses.

Yardenne Greenspan’s provides a smooth translation, reminding us that we are reading a Hebrew text, and therefore compartmentalized to a certain city at the certain time, while also rendering the English stylishly and precisely. 

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