Israeli author Etgar Keret may soon avoid the Israeli housing crisis by living in the world's thinnest building in Warsaw next year. Polish architect Jakub Szczesny is designing the structure that is being called the "House of Keret." The project is dedicated to the Israeli short story author, whose writing, like the building itself, blends surrealism with mundane reality. The "House of Keret" is expected to be the world's thinnest house, measuring 120 centimeters at its widest point and 71 centimeters at its slimmest, at its completion. The bite-size, capsule-shaped building will be squeezed between two larger buildings in downtown Warsaw. The plan calls for stairs connecting the building's four floors to fold at the touch of a button. The dreamlike building, first written about in Ha'aretz, does not comply with Poland's building codes and is designated as an "art installation." The structure is slated to be completed by the end of 2011 and serve as Keret's home and workplace in Poland. The project is meant to serve as a "platform for creative work conditions" and promote "world intellectual exchange." "Once I realized he [Szczesny] was serious, I immediately accepted," Keret said, referring to the offer to live in the house. "The house is based on my works, and is especially thin -- like my short stories." Keret noted that, like the building, he also has Polish foundations. "My parents are originally from there. I will probably fly there in February for one night, be hosted at a literary event, and have it mark my symbolic return to Poland," Keret said.
