There Is No Other - Softcover

Why I Write Short Stories 
 
      You might wonder why I choose to write short stories when the market demands novels, and blockbuster ones at that. I could give you the glib answer, paraphrasing Flannery O'Connor and say I write short stories because I'm good at it. But that wouldn't really get to the heart of why I really write short stories. Writing a short story for me is really more of a conversation, an internal dialogue engaging with issues of religion and faith. Much of my religious education comes from the writing of my stories as I try to figure out the answers to my questions. such as: what would happen if a billionaire real estate developer try to achieve tikkun olam by bringing baseball to the Israelis and Palestinians? What would happen if a young kibbutznik remained pregnant for 18 years? What if two owners of rival Jerusalem falafel stands got into an apocalyptic feud?
      I write short stories not simply because they're short, but because they are complete slices of life in a short space, compressing and expanding the world at the exact same time so that the reader feels that she has experienced something meaningful in 15 pages rather than 300. Many people have lamented the death of the short story, but I truly believe that the short story is poised for a renaissance, as people who find they have less and less time for leisure reading can sneak off for 10 or 15 minutes and read a great short story that will make her feel as full as if she had just read an entire novel.
      When I write, I feel as if an ancient bearded rabbi saunters out and whispers his secrets in my ear. I don't mean that in a mystical way, but in a sense I guess I do, since writing is a supreme act of  faith, a combination of meditation and prayer: a let there be act of creation.  --Jonathan Papernick May, 2010

"Papernick joins a handful of young writers such as Nathan Englander, Dara Horn and Jonathan Safran Foer who have been steadily redefining not only the range but also the very substance of contemporary Jewish writing." --- HADASSAH MAGAZINE"Papernick writes with tremendous passion about the downside of love, sex, and faith. The characters in this fearless collection are lovely and desperate... unforgettably stung by the world of their own disappointments." --- STEVE ALMOND, author of My Life in Heavy Metal and Candyfreak"Papernick knows how to get out of the way and let his characters take over; just as importantly, he knows how to watch. And he knows how to write it all down in a uniquely compelling way. Every story deepens our understanding of humanity and leaves us just a little bit smarter." --- MICHAEL WEX, best-selling author of Born to Kvetch and Just Say Nu"There is a muscular certainty to the best of Papernick's stories that is altogether harrowing... Papernick's penetrating, clear-sighted stories ring true." --- THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW