‘During our conversations, Hogan informed me that he writes only short stories now because they are “fitting for our time”…’ SHAUNA GILLIGAN looks at the writing life of Irish author Desmond Hogan, and considers his shift from novels to short stories.
We are delighted to announce the results of the 2015 THRESHOLDS International Short Fiction Feature Writing Competition: ‘In our winning essay, Richard Newton considers a world without the writings of Herman Charles Bosman…’
The 2015 THRESHOLDS Feature Writing Competition is now open for entries, until Wednesday 06 May, 11:59pm (BST). £500 first prize. 2x £100 runner-up prizes. FREE to enter…
ROSEMARY GEMMELL takes a look at the short stories of one of the giants of English literature: ‘D.H. Lawrence has left a profound legacy of stories that explore what it means to be human, fragile, and capable of great love and deep cruelty…’
FRANCESCA CREFFIELD explores the life and writing of George Mackay Brown: ‘…once I started reading the stories I was immersed in a rich culture of storytelling unlike any I had ever known before. Gone were the creative writing rules of beginning, middle and end…’
ELEANOR FITZSIMONS discusses Oscar Wilde’s ardent storytelling and the stories we never got to read: ‘His own popularity was assured by his eagerness to entertain, to the extent that society hostesses took to including the words ‘to meet Oscar Wilde’ on invitations, in a bid to boost attendance at their gatherings…’
KENNETH OKPOMO takes a closer look at one of Nigeria’s literary talents: ‘Helon Habila’s ascendancy into literary fame and stardom did not come by accident or chance; he worked hard for it…’
TESS ST.CLAIR-FORD finds the life of Carson McCullers reflected in her remarkable short stories: ‘It is the themes of “love and aloneness” that are the defining bedfellows of McCullers’ stories. Always present in McCullers’ work is an overwhelming sense of sadness, of place, of loss and of threads left untied…’
ALEX MAIR finds the upheavals of the Edwardian era reflected in the short stories of Saki: ‘To dip into a Munro story is to step across the threshold of good taste, and enter into a darkly satirical universe; one filled with strange beasts, terrifying aunts, blood-thirsty animals, talking hens and angry, unyielding, god-like weasels.’
‘By the time these pieces were published, he had established a life in the world of literature and journalism, a life of editing with a reputation for impeccable taste and criticism…’ J.K. FOX finds quiet elegance and profundity in Francis Wyndham’s The Other Garden and Collected Stories.
