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Why it matters
Grossman compresses comedy, cruelty, grief, and national unease into the pressure of a single live performance.
A celebrated work
A Horse Walks into a Bar
David Grossman2017 selection · Translated fiction
A Horse Walks into a Bar
Stand-up comedian Dovaleh Green performs an increasingly volatile set in a small Israeli club while a retired judge watches from the audience. Jokes gradually give way to humiliation and a childhood memory that the performer has organized the evening to confront.
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Read this if…
You like formally concentrated novels built around an unreliable and abrasive voice.
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Ideas inside
PerformanceGriefHumiliationMemory
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International Booker Prize — official winner recordOfficial record↗ (opens in a new tab)