KATE LUNN-PIGULA discovers the harsh reality of Kazuo Ishiguro’s short story collection, Nocturnes: ‘it isn’t shocking or political or sexy … It is gentle and mature: not the crazy anecdotes of up-and-coming rock stars, but dejected notes of people who haven’t fully realised their adolescent dreams. It’s a coming-of-(middle)-age collection concerned with life’s smaller anxieties…’
DAVID FRANKEL looks at Hubert Selby Jnr’s uncompromising story collection, Song of the Silent Snow: ‘Each of the stories offers a startling and vivid glimpse into the character’s life, the voices ranging from no-nonsense accounts of hard lives to poetic internal monologues…’
AIMEE McCAGUE attempts to see past the author we all know to the meaning of ‘The Library of Babel’: ‘Borges’ story tells of an infinite library, a universe in itself in which the inhabitants desperately search for meaning in the form of the mythical ‘Vindications’ that allegedly tell their future…’
SHAFIQAH SAMARASAM looks at the Pulitzer Prize-winning stories of Jhumpa Lahiri: ‘Her magnificent stories will echo in the lives of many foreign people because of the strength of her portrayal of their lives…’
NOW CLOSED: You have until Sunday 05 March, 11:59pm (GMT) to submit your feature essays for the 2017 THRESHOLDS International Short Fiction Feature Writing Competition…
HANNAH BROCKBANK recommends the anthology that explores the experiences of refugees and those who work with them, REFUGEE TALES: ‘In tale after tale, physical environments are unforgiving and divisive. Conflicts are both physical and moral, and there is little resolution for the people described. The tales are challenging and resonate long after reading, not only because of their traumatic content, but also in the way they confront our attitudes and responsibilities to our fellow humans…’
KJ ORR, winner of the 2016 BBC National Short Story Award, speaks to us about her love of the short story form: ‘Short stories ask the reader to pay attention: I love that. Put another way, they value the reader, the reader’s imagination, engagement and attention. I find this both moving and important – profoundly connective…’
