Information

ISBN
9781907773679
Extent
256pp
Format
Paperback
Publication Date
29-Aug-14
Publication Status
Out of print
Series
Best British Short Stories
Subject
Fiction anthologies
Subject
Short stories
Trim Size
198 x 129mm

Best British Short Stories 2014

Synopsis

‘There is no more carefully chosen yet eclectic anthology series in existence in Britain today’ – Susan Haigh, The Short Review

Best British Short Stories invites you to judge a book by its cover – or more accurately, by its title. This new series aims to reprint the best short stories published in the previous calendar year by British writers, whether based in the UK or elsewhere. The editor’s brief is wide ranging, covering anthologies, collections, magazines, newspapers and web sites, looking for the best of the bunch to reprint all in one volume.

Featuring: Elizabeth Baines, David Constantine, Ailsa Cox, Claire Dean, Stuart Evers, Jonathan Gibbs, Jay Griffiths, David Grubb, M John Harrison, Vicki Jarrett, Richard Knight, Philip Langeskov, Siân Melangell Dafydd, Anna Metcalfe, Louise Palfreyman, Christopher Priest, Joanne Rush, Mick Scully, Joanna Walsh and Adam Wilmington.

Table of Contents

  • Introduction
  • Jonathan Gibbs – The Faber Book of Adulter
  • Jay Griffiths – The Spiral Stairwell
  • Richard Knight – The Incalculable Weight of Water
  • Vicki Jarrett – Ladies’ Day
  • M John Harrison – Getting Out of There
  • Siân Melangell Dafydd – Hospital Field
  • David Grubb – Roof Space
  • Anna Metcalfe – Number Three
  • David Constantine – Ashton and Elaine
  • Louise Palfreyman – The Jewel of the Orient
  • Stuart Evers – What’s Going On Outside?
  • Elizabeth Baines – Tides or How Stories Do or Don’t Get Told
  • Mick Scully – The Sea in Birmingham
  • Ailsa Cox – Hope Fades For the Hostages
  • Christopher Priest – Unfinished Business
  • Joanna Walsh – Femme Maison
  • Adam Wilmington – It
  • Claire Dean – Glass, Bricks, Dust
  • Joanne Rush – Guests
  • Philip Langeskov – Barcelona
  • Contributors’ Biographies
  • Acknowledgements

Reviews of this Book

‘Slip this lightweight but nourishing anthology into your holiday bag. Editor Royle has selected 20 published stories from British writers. His own (excellent) taste means that little explosions of weirdness or transcendence often erupt amid much well-observed everyday life.’ —Boyd Tonkin, The Independent

‘It's so good that it's hard to believe that there was no equivalent during the 17 years since Giles Gordon and David Hughes's Best English Short Stories ceased publication in 1994. The first selection makes a very good beginning … Highly Recommended.’ —Kate Saunders

‘Let's hope this series becomes an annual fixture.’ —Chris Power, The Guardian

‘There is no more carefully chosen yet eclectic anthology series in existence in Britain today, and, what’s more, I would advise anyone embarking on this year’s stories to first cast an eye over Royle’s fascinating introduction, in which he explains as much about the stories he didn’t choose, but which almost made it into the anthology, as he does about the stories he does include.’ —Susan Haigh, The Short Review