DORA D’AGOSTINO recommends Laura van den Berg’s short story ‘Antarctica’: ‘As I read, I couldn’t help but think that, though years and continents may separate us, artists are still inspired by death, grief, heartache, loss, joy, surprise, birth, and everything in-between to create something new that speaks directly to us…’
GEOFFREY HEPTONSTALL discusses John Fowles’s often overlooked collection, The Ebony Tower: ‘Fowles’s capacity for narrative invention indicates not only charisma, a secular magic, but also an extraordinary comprehension of the human.’
We are delighted to bring you this exclusive interview with JANE GARDAM, winner of the Charleston-Chichester Award for a Lifetime’s Excellence in Short Fiction, recorded at the Small Wonder Short Story Festival last September…
SHORT STORY FESTIVAL: This year, the Small Wonder Festival gets underway on Wednesday 28th September – grown from a long-weekend to a five-day celebration of the exquisite short story form…
JULIA ANDERSON tells us of her admiration for Joanna Campbell’s ‘When Planets Slip Their Tracks’: “Every story in When Planets Slip Their Tracks is significant; there is nothing weak or wordy here…Every one of these twenty-four short stories tugged on all of my emotions…”
MADELEINE MCDONALD discusses the influence of city life on the stories of Rainer Brambach: ‘This is a collection where the author stands back, observing, inviting readers to eavesdrop alongside him and draw their own conclusions.’
PROFESSOR CHARLES E. MAY explores the short fiction of Rudyard Kipling: ‘Kipling was perhaps the first English writer to embrace the characteristics of the short story form whole-heartedly, and that thus his stories are perfect representations of the transition point between the old-fashioned tale of the nineteenth century and the modern short story…’
JANIS LANE examines tragedy in Rose Tremain’s short stories from The American Lover collection: ‘These tragedies are threaded throughout, ranging from high drama and death, to minor inconveniences, such as the departure of a spouse or lost love. The uniting factor is the characters’ vulnerability, and, often, a lack of control over their own destinies…’
HAYLEY N. JONES explores identity and mortality in one of Ali Smith’s short stories: ‘On the surface, ‘Writ’ appears to be a quiet, unassuming story: a woman comes home to find her fourteen-year-old self in her house…’
VIDEO INTERVIEW: Acclaimed Danish author DORTHE NORS in conversation with Professor Alison MacLeod, at the University of Chichester, 2016.
