An Afternoon

An Afternoon

by Ian Rankin

"'An Afternoon' originally appeared in a collection called New Writing Scotland 2, published by the Association of Scottish Literary Studies.

That was way back in 1984. I was 24, still at university. I'd had some success in a couple of national short-story contests. One or two of my efforts had made it into magazines and been broadcast on radio, but 'An Afternoon' represents my breakthrough into a book-length collection.

By the time I wrote it, I was starting to turn my attention to the novel. I'd probably already finished my first full-length effort (the never-published 'Summer Rites') and was maybe even thinking about 'The Flood' (which would eventually be published in 1986, the year I said my farewells to student life).

It's funny, but I'd forgotten all about 'An Afternoon' until about a year ago. I'd forgotten that, long before Rebus, I'd written another story from a cop's point of view..." Ian Rankin

Ian Rankin started life trying to create comic books, but found he had no artistic talent. He couldn't sing either, but that didn't stop him creating a pop group (The Amoebas), installing himself as vocalist (Ian Kaput), and touring the world ... but only in the pages of stolen school jotters. His lyrics for the band, however, gave Rankin delusions of poetical grandeur.

After a few years of undergraduate ramblings, he turned with some relief to the short story. One of his first was 'An Afternoon', which was published in the collection New Writing Scotland 2. He has since gone on to success with his 'Inspector Rebus' series of crime novels, having served one of literature's longer apprenticeships.

Download this story

Adobe Acrobat pdf format

Source

The Daughters of the Late Colonel

The Daughters of the Late Colonel

by Katherine Mansfield

Katherine Mansfield was born in Wellington, New Zealand, in 1888 and moved to London in 1908. She was a regular contributor to the journal New Age and, in 1912, also began to write short stories for Rhythm, edited by her future husband, John Middleton Murry.

Her first collection of sharply satirical short stories, In a German Pension, was published to critical acclaim in 1911. Her story, 'Prelude', based on her New Zealand childhood, was published by Leonard and Virginia Woolf's Hogarth Press in 1918.

Bliss, and Other Stories, published in 1920, confirmed her growing reputation as a writer of modernist fiction and her short stories were the first in English to show the influence of Chekhov.

Her third collection of short stories, The Garden Party, and Other Stories, the last to be published in her lifetime, appeared in 1922. Katherine Mansfield died of tuberculosis at Fontainebleau in France in 1923.

'The Daughters of the Late Colonel' (from The Garden Party and Other Stories, Penguin) has been recommended by Jackie Kay.

Download this story

Microsoft Word document format

Adobe Acrobat pdf format

Source

Sticks and Stones

Sticks and Stones

by Trezza Azzopardi

"Trezza Azzopardi's 'Sticks and Stones', was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 as part of a five part series under the umbrella title 'Second Generation'.

Five British born writers who are the children of immigrants (four of them primarily novelists) were asked to contribute stories; the resulting tales were as diverse as the roots of the writers.

Marina Lewcyka, whose parents came from the Ukraine and who is the author of A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian wrote about a child's attempts to fit in to a different culture in 'The Importance of Having Warm Feet’; Peter Ho Davies, already well known for his published collections of short stories, some of which we have broadcast before, wrote about literally creating a second generation with his story 'Pirates' about video piracy; Rana Dasgupta's story 'The Horse' was about the power of words and Helen Oyeyemi wrote about a journey of discovery through the beautiful landscapes of her parents' homeland, Nigeria.

Trezza Azzopardi, whose first novel The Hiding Place was broadcast on 'Book at Bedtime' and shortlisted for the Booker Prize and the James Tait Prize in 2000, comes from a Maltese family who came to Wales in the 1950s.

She was a student on the Creative Writing Course at UEA and now writes and lectures in Norwich. Her second novel Remember Me was published in 2004, and she is now working on her third novel, which she has used as the inspiration for a powerful and perceptive story that throws light on a too prevelant problem for many.

Her story 'Sticks and Stones' is a perfect example of just how much can be conveyed in a mere 2000 words. She succeeds in interweaving past and present in a story which has depth, tragedy and resolution." Di Speirs, Executive Producer, Readings, BBC Radio 4.

Read Di Speirs article on the BBC and its work with the short story

Download this story

Microsoft Word document format

Adobe Acrobat pdf format

Source

But

But

by Anne Donovan

But is a new short story by Anne Donovan, one of Scotland's most talented writers, which highlights issues faced by those who care in the community.

Anne Donovan, author of the award-winning novel Buddha Da, was commissioned to write the piece by Artlink, the Edinburgh arts organisation working within marginalised communities.

But is a fictional snapshot of a carer's life, shining a light on some of the issues, feelings, and frustrations faced by those who care for individuals with learning disabilities.

The story is informed by time spent by the author with carers of people with learning disabilities over a period of two months.

Through these interactions, Donovan gained an insight into the lives of those who care. The resulting story is an affecting and thought-provoking glimpse of the 'forgotten ones', the strong but tired legion of overstretched carers for whom caring is a round-the-clock, often lifelong, responsibility.

But, dedicated 'to carers everywhere' by Donovan, has been co-published by Artlink and Scottish Book Trust, the national agency for readers and writers.

Alison Stirling, project director at Artlink, said: "This is the first time Artlink has approached an established writer and we've been hugely impressed by the story Anne has produced and the manner in which she has brought these important issues to the fore. Our intention was to find someone to make the carers and the issues they face on a daily basis real in the minds of readers. Anne has undoubtedly achieved this in But.

"During the time she spent researching the story, Anne observed certain recurring themes and frustrations common to many of those who spend a lifetime caring. I'm sure carers will recognise and empathise with the story's narrator, making connections with their own lives, and hopefully readers will gain a heightened understanding of the circumstances it describes."

Some comments on 'But':

"This story highlights how 'the professionals' won't listen to us, they think we are being over protective. We have a knowledge they are not prepared to learn from. Perhaps this story will make them think differently." mother

"This is more than an essay. It is, in a way, a shared experience." care worker

"The article by Anne Donovan is a true reflection of how many of our
parents feel ..." head teacher

Anne Donovan is the author of the novel Buddha Da and the short story collection, Hieroglyphics, both published by Canongate.

Buddha Da was short listed for the Orange Prize, the Whitbread First Novel Award and the Scottish Book of the Year Award and has been nominated for this year's International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. It received a Scottish Arts Council Award and won Le Prince Maurice Award in Mauritius in 2004.

Anne won the Macallan/Scotland on Sunday Short Story Award in 1997 and was a Canongate Prize winner in 2000. She has also written for radio and the stage and has been working on the screenplay for the film of Buddha Da. She lives in Glasgow.

Download this story

Adobe Acrobat pdf format

Source

The Clockwork Atom Bomb

The Clockwork Atom Bomb

by Dominic Green

Dominic Green's story first appeared in Interzone (IZ) magazine, issue 198, May/June 2005. It topped the 2005 readers' poll as the most popular of the year. Dominic's earlier story, 'Send Me a Mentagram', (IZ 192) was reprinted in the 21st edition of The Year's Best Science Fiction, edited by Gardner Dozois; 'The Clockwork Atom Bomb' will feature in the 2006 collection.

The story has also been shortlisted for a Hugo Award, in the category of the best SF short story of 2005. The Hugos - the science fiction equivalent of the Oscars - are based on the votes of science fiction fans worldwide.

In 'The Clockwork Atom Bomb', a UN weapons inspector discovers that an African nation is making alarming use of future technology.

Dominic Green comes from Bakewell, Derbyshire, and now lives and works in Northampton. He is an alumnus of Wellingborough School and St Catharine's College, Cambridge.

Dominic writes short stories and novels but success with the latter has eluded him to date. He hopes his new popularity will help him find a publisher for his novels so that he can follow in the footsteps of Interzone alumni Alastair Reynolds, Stephen Baxter and Greg Egan.

Many thanks to Interzone for granting permission to reproduce 'The Clockwork Atom Bomb'.

Download this story

Microsoft Word document format

Adobe Acrobat pdf format

Source

A Tray of Ice Cubes

A Tray of Ice Cubes

by Gerard Woodward

"This is a great example of the Kafka-esque and the surreal - which you only really get in such pure form in short stories; you simply couldn't sustain it for a full novel.

It's also a great example of how not explaining is often far better better than explaining. In fact it may be beyond anyone's exact explanation.

Short stories excel through the things they don't tell you, the gaps in information; the darkness that bookends them so narrowly, making what you do get more vivid.

In this case, you not only don't know what quite happens at the end, you're left with an image which is couldn't be any stronger and couldn't be any more cryptic. I'd love to ask visitors to the site to suggest an explanation for this final image.

As the publisher and editor of the story, I have my theories, but I'd really like to know what people think ..." Ra Page, Comma Press

Gerard Woodward is the author of three award-winning collections of poetry, Householder, After the Deafening and Island to Island, and a new collection, We Were Pedestrians. He has also written two novels, August (shortlisted for the Whitbread First Novel Prize 2001) and its sequel, I'll Go to Bed at Noon, which was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2004.

Download this story

Microsoft Word document format

Adobe Acrobat pdf format

Source

Something Light

Something Light

by Jack Wallsten

Jack Wallsten was born in Stockholm, Sweden in 1983, which makes him young enough to still harbor delusions of a music career but old enough to have a back-up. Right now he is a photographer/film editor for a small production company, where he has worked since August 2005.

He mostly writes in English, the simple reason being that the people he writes for, or imagines himself talking to when he is writing, don't speak Swedish. He spent two years studying Communication on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia; if he has anything resembling a personal style he got it there under the sunlight and in between drinks (and vague memories of lectures and tutorials).

He says about 'Something Light': "This particular piece is a lullaby, I was looking for the rhythm, quiet reflection and melancholy I get whenever I read 'The Harvest' by Amy Hempel. The most common question I get asked about it is what's true and what's made-up. But I'll never tell."

Well, what do you think? e-mail us at story@booktrust.org.uk

Download 'Something Light'
Adobe Acrobat .pdf format (150Kb)

With many thanks to Aesthetica Magazine for granting permission to reproduce 'Something Light'.

Aesthetica is a cultural arts magazine that covers new writing, art, music and film in each issue. It has been described by Mslexia Magazine as "sleek, energetic, progressive and destined to be one of the leading publications for the cultural arts in 2006" by Mslexia Magazine.

Aesthetica was initially started to publish new writers and artists, but its intended audience has since become much wider. Aesthetica combines high quality arts news, reviews, and interviews alongside those more established in their field.

www.aestheticamagazine.com

Download this story

Adobe Acrobat pdf format

Source

Deep Blue Sea

Deep Blue Sea

by Peter Hobbs

Peter Hobbs grew up in Cornwall and Yorkshire, and lives in London. The Short Day Dying, his first novel, won a Betty Trask award and was shortlisted for the Whitbread First Novel Award and the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize.

He has also published a collection of short stories, I Could Ride All Day in My Cool Blue Train (Faber, 2006), from which 'Deep Blue Sea' is taken. One of his stories was included in Picador’s New Writing 13 anthology (2005), edited by Ali Smith and Toby Litt.

Peter has recently been reading the following collections, from which he particularly recommends:

'Charlie in the House of Rue' from Robert Coover's A Night at the Movies (Dalkey Archive Press, US)

The title story from Tom Bissell's God Lives in St Petersburg(Faber)

'Hanalei Bay' from Haruki Murakami's Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman (Harvill Secker)

The title story from Claire Keegan's Antarctica (Faber)

Read a review of I Could Ride All Day in My Cool Blue Train

'Deep Blue Sea' is reproduced by kind permission of the author.

Peter Hobbs is published by Faber

Download this story

Microsoft Word document format

Source