As noted by the LA Times and The Rumpus, the timing of Haaretz's second "Author's Edition," in which the daily Israeli newspaper gives its pages over to fiction writers to commemorate book week, could not be more fraught. While some essays had already been planned, like Milan Kundera's "Free Roman Polanksi" column, much of it got produced on the fly as conflicting reports poured out about last week's flotilla disaster, where nine activists died during conflict Israeli soldiers. The latest news is that Israel is rejecting UN calls for an international inquiry.

When literary types take on the news, the results can be fascinating. Take author and filmmaker Etgar Keret's absurdist tale of trying to find a government official to interview, or American novelist Jamaica Kincaid's description of flotilla TV coverage. Canadian writer Margaret Atwood dissects "The Shadow" that seems to underscore life in Israel. The selection of stories is a little obtuse, and with so many non-natives writing, the coverage is anything but exhaustive. Still, what timing. And like any good newspaper section there's even a horoscope.