From flash fiction to mini-novelette, Fairlight presents twenty-four of its best short stories from some of the world's most talented new and emerging English language writers. Chosen from work sent to Fairlight over several years by writers around the globe, this anthology celebrates the art of the short story form: a vehicle with the power to delight, entertain or instantly transport the reader to another state, another world, another emotion. Twenty-four stories by twenty-four writers, including various award-winning short story authors, and Women's Prize-longlisted author Sophie van Llewyn.
Welcome to Broadwater Farm, one of the most well-known housing estates in Britain. A place where post-war dreams of concrete utopia ended in riots, violence and sub-standard housing.In this collection, Tottenham-born Jac Shreeves-Lee gives voice to the people of Broadwater Farm. With evocative language and raw storytelling, she compassionately portrays their shared sense of community. A community with a rich cultural heritage, comprising over forty nationalities, generations old.
Longlisted for the 2019 Women’s Prize, this poignant, lyrical novel is set in 1970s Romania during Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu’s regime—and depicts childhood, marriage, family, and identity in the face of extreme obstacles. Alina yearns for freedom. She and her husband Liviu are teachers in their twenties, living under the repressive regime of Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu in the Socialist Republic of Romania in the 1970s. But after her brother-in-law defects, Alina and Liviu fall under suspicion and surveillance, and their lives are suddenly turned upside down—just like the glasses in her superstitious Aunt Theresa's house that are used to ward off evil spirits. But Alina's evil spirits are more corporeal: a suffocating, manipulative mother; a student who accuses her; and a menacing Secret Services agent who makes one-too-many visits. As the couple continues to be harassed, their marriage soon deteriorates. With the government watching—and most likely listening— escape seems impossible . . . until Alina’s mystical aunt proposes a surprising solution to reduce her problems to a manageable size. Weaving elements of magic realism, Romanian folklore, and Kafkaesque paranoia into a gritty and moving depiction of one woman's struggle for personal and political freedom, Bottled Goods is written in short bursts of “flash fiction” and explores universal themes of empowerment, liberty, family, and loyalty.
A gothic retelling of the myth of Faust, set in Hungary in the 1970s and 1990s. Eighteen-year-old Sandor Esterhazy, rich and entitled, is descended from a long line of talented pianists, but he has no intention of following in their footsteps. One afternoon, in a fit of pique, he calls up the devil, using an old book of magic spells, and offers to exchange his soul for a life free to choose his own destiny. Afterwards Sandor laughs it off as a joke, but that night he sees the shape of a man approaching the house. He is dragging someone - or something - behind him through the snow. Sandor goes down to the piano room. The devil has delivered a bare-foot young man who Sandor instantly recognizes. But what is this creature? And what exactly is to be done with him
In February 1959, Switzerland held a referendum on women’s suffrage. The men voted ‘no’. In this powerful novella, Clare O’Dea explores that day through the eyes of four very different Swiss women. Vreni is a busy farmer’s wife, longing for a break from family life. Her grown-up daughter Margrit is carving out an independent life in Bern, but finds herself trapped in an alarming situation. Esther, a cleaner, is desperate to recover her son who has been taken into care. Beatrice, a hospital administrator, has been throwing herself into the ‘yes’ campaign. The four women’s paths intersect on a day that will leave its mark on all their lives.
From award-winning author Lynda Clark come sixteen engrossing stories weaving together elements of folklore, fantasy and speculative fiction, all of them in Clark's darkly humorous style. In ' Ghillie's Mum', shortlisted for the BBC Short Story Award, a shape-shifting mother needs to decide whether to compromise and stay in her human form, or lose her son. In ' Total Transparency', the protagonist is learning how to live with a gradually disappearing wife. In ' Blanks', people are paying to create clones of themselves so they will never die. And in ' Dreaming in Quantum', there's a murder to be solved which echoes through dimensions only accessible in dreams.
Schreiben war schon immer ein wichtiger Teil des Lebens von William Lewis, von professionellen Berichten über Buchbesprechungen bis hin zu Gedichten und Songtexten. Vor vier Jahren entdeckte er Flash Fiction, was ihm neue Wege der Kreativität eröffnete. Er genießt besonders die Knappheit und die Möglichkeiten der Kurzform. Einige seiner Geschichten sind leicht und humorvoll, andere sind düsterer. Die Kooperation mit den Göttinger Künstler:innen, die die Geschichten in diesem Buch illustriert haben, entstand aufgrund der Städtepartnerschaft, die Göttingen und Cheltenham verbindet. Bei einem Partnerschaftsbesuch lernte William Lewis aus Cheltenham Greta Mindermann-Lynen und Christiane Christen kennen, beide Mitglieder der Göttinger Künstlervereinigung Kreis 34. So entstand die Idee zu diesem illustrierten Buch. Christiane Christen übersetzte die teils sehr skurrilen Geschichten ins Deutsche und leitete sie an die Künstler:innen des Kreis 34 weiter, die sich zu Illustrationen in ganz verschiedenen Stilrichtungen inspirieren ließen. Dank der freundlichen und großzügigen Unterstützung der Städtepartnerschaftsvereine Cheltenhams und Göttingens, der Stadt Cheltenham und der Stadt Göttingen konnte dieses schöne Buch mit 13 Geschichten auf Englisch mit deutscher Übersetzung und mit 27 Illustrationen gedruckt werden.
The best of modern-day short story writing. From flash fiction to mini-novelette, Fairlight presents The Fairlight Book of Short Stories: Volume 1, twenty-four of its best short stories from some of the world's most talented new and emerging English language writers. Chosen from work sent to Fairlight over several years by writers around the globe, this anthology celebrates the art of the short story form: a vehicle with the power to delight, entertain or instantly transport the reader to another state, another world, another emotion. The authors include Judith Wilson (winner of the Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition, the London Short Story Prize, and shortlisted for Colm Toibin International Short Story Award) and Adam Trodd (winner of Benedict Kiely Short Story Competition, and shortlisted for the Cúirt New Writing Prize, Over The Edge New Writer Of The Year and the Bath Flash Fiction Award) along with Women's Prize-longlisted author Sophie van Llewyn.
Look At This If You Love Great Art is a must read for anyone with a passion for exceptional art. Featuring 100 of the best artworks ever produced, inside is a collection of insightful summaries on just what it is that makes each one so vital. Art writer Chloë Ashby talks you through the pieces that resonate with her, revealing the fascinating stories behind them and offering her considered take on why each work should be regarded as a pinnacle of artistic endeavour. With entries curated to offer a unique juxtaposition of styles, mediums and schools of art, expect a contemporary take on classic artworks, where titans of art history cross paths with under-appreciated examples from outside the traditional canon, and where rebellious visionaries blaze trails that still influence today’s cutting-edge artists. Covering all the most important genres of art –Abstraction, Pop Art, Surrealism, Renaissance art, Impressionism and more – this engaging summary only deals with artworks that really matter and the reasons why you have to see them.
'What is your best investment? Buying a copy of the Writers' & Artists' Yearbook.' Kimberley Chambers This bestselling Writers' & Artists' Yearbook contains a wealth of information on all aspects of writing and becoming a published author, plus a comprehensive directory of media contacts. Packed with practical tips, it includes expert advice from renowned authors and industry insiders on: - submitting to agents and publishers - writing non-fiction and fiction across different genres and formats - poetry, plays, broadcast media and illustration - marketing and self-publishing - legal and financial information - writing prizes and festivals. Revised and updated annually, the Yearbook includes thousands of industry contacts and over 80 articles from writers of all forms and genres, including award-winning novelists, poets and playwrights, scriptwriters for TV, radio and videogames. If you want to find a literary or illustration agent or publisher, would like to self-publish or to crowdfund your creative idea then this Yearbook will help you. New content for this edition includes articles on If at first you don't succeed ... by Jessica Irena Smith, The importance of story development by Greg Mosse, Writing for readers by Rachel McLean, Creating a poetry comic by Chrissy Williams, Ghosting: writing other people's stories by Gillian Stern, Romantic motifs by Sue Moorcroft, How a publicist can help you by Hannah Hargrave, Writing across forms by Rob Gittins, Pitching your travel ideas by Jen & Sim Benson, The hybrid author by Simon McLeave. 'The wealth of information is staggering.' The Times
