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For My Next Illusion I Will Use Wings
While the word counts of Alex Epstein’s “microfictions” may rarely reach triple digits, these seven stories, from his new collection, "For My Next Illusion I Will Use Wings," occupy the space of something much larger. In these microfictions, Epstein performs an act of distillation, capturing the very essence of fiction. His stories are so poignant they penetrate, resonate, and are certain to leave a profound impression.
Each of the stories featured here are also accompanied an original illustration by David Polonsky, art director of the Academy Award nominated film Waltz With Bashir.
About Recommended Reading:
Great authors inspire us. But what about the stories that inspire them? Recommended Reading, the latest project from Electric Literature, publishes one story every week, each chosen by a great author or editor. In this age of distraction, we uncover writing that's worth slowing down and spending some time with. And in doing so, we help give great writers, literary magazines, and independent presses the recognition (and readership) they deserve.
About the Author:
Alex Epstein was born in Leningrad (St. Petersburg) in 1971 and moved to Israel when he was eight years old. He is the author of five collections of short stories and three novels; in 2003 he was awarded Israel’s Prime Minister’s Prize for Literature. His stories have appeared in the Kenyon Review, the Iowa Review, Guernica, PEN America, World Literature Today, and elsewhere; two of his collections have appeared in English: Blue Has No South (Clockroot Books, 2010) and Lunar Savings Time (Clockroot Books, 2011). For My Next Illusion I Will Use Wings, his new collection of micro fiction, was published in Hebrew in 2012, in print and as a free digital version on Facebook.
About the Illustrator:
David Polonsky was born in Kiev, USSR in 1973. After graduating from the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem, he worked as an editorial illustrator and as an art director and animator for television. He has illustrated a number of best-selling children’s books and is a two-time winner of the Israel Museum Award for Children’s Books Illustration. Polonsky created the art for Ari Folman’s acclaimed animated film Waltz with Bashir (2008), which was nominated for an Academy Award and won numerous international awards. Polonsky teaches illustration at the Bezalel Academy and the Shenkar School of Design.
About the Translator:
Jessica Cohen was born in England, raised in Israel, and lives in the U.S. She translates contemporary Israeli prose, as well as commercial material from and into Hebrew. Her translations include David Grossman’s critically acclaimed To the End of The Land, and works by Etgar Keret, Rutu Modan, Yael Hedaya, and Tom Segev.
Each of the stories featured here are also accompanied an original illustration by David Polonsky, art director of the Academy Award nominated film Waltz With Bashir.
About Recommended Reading:
Great authors inspire us. But what about the stories that inspire them? Recommended Reading, the latest project from Electric Literature, publishes one story every week, each chosen by a great author or editor. In this age of distraction, we uncover writing that's worth slowing down and spending some time with. And in doing so, we help give great writers, literary magazines, and independent presses the recognition (and readership) they deserve.
About the Author:
Alex Epstein was born in Leningrad (St. Petersburg) in 1971 and moved to Israel when he was eight years old. He is the author of five collections of short stories and three novels; in 2003 he was awarded Israel’s Prime Minister’s Prize for Literature. His stories have appeared in the Kenyon Review, the Iowa Review, Guernica, PEN America, World Literature Today, and elsewhere; two of his collections have appeared in English: Blue Has No South (Clockroot Books, 2010) and Lunar Savings Time (Clockroot Books, 2011). For My Next Illusion I Will Use Wings, his new collection of micro fiction, was published in Hebrew in 2012, in print and as a free digital version on Facebook.
About the Illustrator:
David Polonsky was born in Kiev, USSR in 1973. After graduating from the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem, he worked as an editorial illustrator and as an art director and animator for television. He has illustrated a number of best-selling children’s books and is a two-time winner of the Israel Museum Award for Children’s Books Illustration. Polonsky created the art for Ari Folman’s acclaimed animated film Waltz with Bashir (2008), which was nominated for an Academy Award and won numerous international awards. Polonsky teaches illustration at the Bezalel Academy and the Shenkar School of Design.
About the Translator:
Jessica Cohen was born in England, raised in Israel, and lives in the U.S. She translates contemporary Israeli prose, as well as commercial material from and into Hebrew. Her translations include David Grossman’s critically acclaimed To the End of The Land, and works by Etgar Keret, Rutu Modan, Yael Hedaya, and Tom Segev.
- GenresFiction
19 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 15, 2012
1 person is currently reading
10 people want to read
About the author
Alex Epstein
20 books6 followersDisambiguation
This author:
Alex^^Epstein
Other author with same name:
Alex^Epstein Alex Epstein
Alex Epstein (Hebrew: אלכס אפשטיין) is an Israeli writer, known for his micro stories.
This author:
Alex^^Epstein
Other author with same name:
Alex^Epstein Alex Epstein
Alex Epstein (Hebrew: אלכס אפשטיין) is an Israeli writer, known for his micro stories.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 27, 2025
I got fascinated by these short stories.
I bought this book on Amazon because I read the following one at the end of a documentary.
"A woman was throwing books out of a third-story window. The whole street stopped to behold the deluge of books spiraling down and crashing on the sidewalk and to listen to the sweet hum of the pages (the diacritics in the poetry books survived, but that's another story) Only her husband -who stood helplessly on the opposite sidewalk - noticed that, for his sake, she was throwing them out in alphabetical order"
This is the above mentioned documentary. It's worth watching it.
https://youtu.be/GdtCrCsKlw0
And I came across this documentary while attending a colloquium after watching "No other land". Also very, very interesting and sad and frustrating, and unbelievable.
How can this kind of thing happen again and again and there is nothing we could do to stop it?
This is the documentary that won the Oscar award for Best Documentary in 2025 but it is very difficult to find it in commercial cinemas and websites in my country.
But going back to the book I have to say that the short story that lead me to the book, was not in the book!!!!, and also that it was the shortest ebook I have ever read. It took me less than 15 minutes.
But I guess there are more Alex Epstein's microfictions published in other magazines with the same title.
I will look for them, for sure, because I loved them!
I wonder if my review is longer than the entire ebook.
I bought this book on Amazon because I read the following one at the end of a documentary.
"A woman was throwing books out of a third-story window. The whole street stopped to behold the deluge of books spiraling down and crashing on the sidewalk and to listen to the sweet hum of the pages (the diacritics in the poetry books survived, but that's another story) Only her husband -who stood helplessly on the opposite sidewalk - noticed that, for his sake, she was throwing them out in alphabetical order"
This is the above mentioned documentary. It's worth watching it.
https://youtu.be/GdtCrCsKlw0
And I came across this documentary while attending a colloquium after watching "No other land". Also very, very interesting and sad and frustrating, and unbelievable.
How can this kind of thing happen again and again and there is nothing we could do to stop it?
This is the documentary that won the Oscar award for Best Documentary in 2025 but it is very difficult to find it in commercial cinemas and websites in my country.
But going back to the book I have to say that the short story that lead me to the book, was not in the book!!!!, and also that it was the shortest ebook I have ever read. It took me less than 15 minutes.
But I guess there are more Alex Epstein's microfictions published in other magazines with the same title.
I will look for them, for sure, because I loved them!
I wonder if my review is longer than the entire ebook.
June 15, 2014
9,5/10
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews