In Praise of Auggie Wren
With just a week to go until Christmas, ERINNA METTLER introduces us to her traditional festive read, ‘Auggie Wren’s Christmas Story’ by Paul Auster.
Jambula Tree
KIRSTY WALTERS finds inspiration in Jambula Tree and Other Stories, an anthology of tales from the 2007 Caine Prize for African writing…
It’s Not the End of the World
TRACY FELLS explores Kate Atkinson’s Not The End Of The World, a collection that, like all her novels, ‘resonates compassion and humanity’.
Shirley Jackson’s ‘The Witch’
‘What do we think of when we hear the word ‘witch’? We think of someone dark and evil, someone to be feared…’ EVER DUNDAS takes a look at Shirley Jackson’s controversial short story ‘The Witch’.
The Deceptively Small Boxes of Robert Shearman
In her essay, LELA TREDWELL takes us through the works of fantastic author Robert Shearman: ‘Shearman’s short stories are often dark and mostly rather devious. He thrills consistently by exploring a whole host of surreal scenarios abetted by his roguish sense of humour…’
Boys
NEELIMA VINOD introduces us to ‘Boys’, a short story by Rick Moody: ‘it makes the experience of twin boys growing up so tactile that you can almost feel them jump off the page and enter your life…’
Global Cultures: Stories from Beyond Our Daily News
In this feature, TRISH NICHOLSON recommends Global Cultures, an anthology of culturally diverse short fictions from around the world: ‘I delve repeatedly into these tales, and they often lead me to consider how a writer’s voice can be a powerful advocate for change…’
The Turning
KATH McKAY recommends the words of Australian writer Tim Winton, ‘an author who gets down in the dust of humanity. He writes about car crashes and disfigurements and scrubbing floors and drownings and hangings and falling out with your in-laws…’
Tales of Mystery and Imagination
CHRISTINE GENOVESE explores the stories of Edgar Allan Poe, accompanied by Harry Clarke’s haunting black and white illustrations, in the collection Tales of Mystery and Imagination.
Whistle If You Dare
STEPHEN DEVEREUX examines ‘Oh Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad’, one of M.R. James’ spooky, supernatural stories: ‘M. R. James’ ghost stories have had an enormous influence, not only on other writers, but on the treatment of the supernatural in film and other popular forms…’