Translator: Sondra Silverston

Publisher: Other Press

ISBN: 978-1-63542-987-9

Eshkol Nevo is an Israeli writer who has published a collection of short stories, five novels, and a work of non-fiction. His debut novel Homesick (2004) was awarded the Reimond Vallier prize in France, shortlisted for the Sapir prize in Israel, and longlisted for the UK's independent award.

His second bestselling novel World Cup Wishes ( 2007), won the Golden Book Prize in Israel and was awarded the Adei-Wizo Prize in Italy. His novel Neuland (2011) sold over 130,000 copies in Israel and was awarded the Steimatzky Prize for Book of the Year. Nevo's fourth bestselling novel Three Floors Up was adapted into a film by renowned Italian director Nanni Moretti titled 'Tre Piani.'

In 2008, Eshkol was awarded membership in the Israel Cultural Excellence Foundation, one of the country's highest recognition for excellence in the arts.

He is the grandson of the third Prime Minister of Israel, Levi Eshkol.

In the Last Interview translated from the Hebrew by Sondra Silverston, Nevo uses his imagination and concocts a Q&A where an author, supposedly Eshkol, is asked dozens of penetrating questions by a website editor.

You have to admit that this is a creative way to craft a memoir where Eshkol bares his soul, looking back on his life and writing career.

In an actual interview conducted, Eshkol was asked how did the book come about. His reply was that he had writer's block, so he invented the Q&A game, where he could answer the most outrageous questions they often ask him. After a couple of months, he realized that the "game" had become a novel about love, friendship, longing, and the hope(and fear) to start life again.

The questions and answers touch various aspects of his life as a writer and his personal life, including love, longing, and the hope and rear of restarting one's life all over again.

When asked about what he finds most challenging about writing, Eshkol replies: "The minute I start writing, I have an urge so strong that I can't ignore it, the urge to eat. I go into the kitchen after every page. No after every paragraph. But, that physical hunger is something I can deal with. The real problem is a different kind of hunger."

You would probably view Eshkol's books as very Israeli. He tells the "fictitious" interviewer that he has no idea if they lose something in translation.

Some questions are quite pointed, such as when was the last time you cried? When was the last time you wanted to cry? When was the last time you had a broken heart? What embarrasses you? Does your grandfather's political legacy influence you as a writer? How does it feel to be named after your grandfather, Levi Eshkol?

Eshkol was born in Jerusalem in 1971. He attended Tel Aviv University, where he studied Psychology, and he studied copywriting at the Tirza Granot School. Today, Nevo owns and co-manages the largest private creative writing school in Israel and is considered the "godfather" of many upcoming young Israeli writers.

Sondra Silverston, who translated The Last Interview, has translated Israeli fiction writers such as Etgar Keret, Ayelet Gundar-Goshen, Zeruya Shalev, and Savyon Liebrecht. 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.

The Last Interview is an eye-opener of a memoir where Eshkol lays himself open to forthright penetrating self-questioning. Eshkol alights on a topic, offers asides and digressions, circles back to hismain point. There is a great deal to unpack here, and Eshkol generously exposes himself for all to see who he really is.