All Comma Titles By Type
Short Story Collections
Safely Gathered In
Sarah Schofield
The debut collection by Lancashire-based short story author Sarah Schofield establishes a new and exciting voice in Northern fiction.
God 99
Hassan Blasim
Highly anticipated debut novel by acclaimed Iraqi writer, poet and filmmaker Hassan Blasim, described by the Guardian as ‘perhaps the greatest writer of Arabic fiction alive’.
Settling the World: Selected Stories 1970-2020
M. John Harrison
A collection of the finest stories by acclaimed New Wave pioneer M. John Harrrison, handpicked from his five previous collections, and includes two brand new stories.
The Dressing-Up Box
David Constantine
Paperback edition of David Constantine's acclaimed fifth collection of stories, confirming his place as one of the greatest living British short story writers and following undefended children and lost adults as they face the outside world.
The Dressing-Up Box
David Constantine
Much-anticipated fifth collection by decorated short story writer, previous winner of the BBC National Short Story Award and the Frank O‘Connor International Short Story Award.
The Sea Cloak
Nayrouz Qarmout
A collection of stories from an exciting female Palestinian writer, translated from Arabic into English for the first time.
Thirteen Months of Sunrise
Rania Mamoun
A bold debut collection from one of Sudan’s most exciting new writers. Shortlisted for the 2020 Warwick Prize for Women in Translation.
Where the Road Runs Out
Gaia Holmes
Third collection from acclaimed contemporary female poet Gaia Holmes.
Quartier Perdu
Sean O'Brien
Second collection of short stories by the multi-award-winning poet, playwright and journalist Sean O’Brien.
You Should Come With Me Now
M. John Harrison
M. John Harrison is a cartographer of the liminal; his work sits at the boundaries between genres – horror and science fiction, fantasy and travel writing – just as his stories traverse the no man’s land between the spatial and the spiritual.
Letters Home
Martyn Bedford
The first collection of short stories from award-winning thriller writer and YA author Martyn Bedford.
From Professor Murasaki’s Notebooks on the Effects of Lightning on the Human Body
John Latham
Having trained as a physicist – specialising in the science of cloud formation – and then later emerged as one of the more curious voices in British poetry, John Latham is not a writer you’re ever likely to forget.
The Ghost Who Bled
Gregory Norminton
Achingly sad and boundlessly inventive, Norminton’s short story collection is as witty and lyrical as it is moving.
Swallow Summer
Larissa Boehning
The debut collection from German author Larissa Boehning, translated into English by Lyn Marven. Shortlisted for the 2017 Warwick Prize for Women in Translation.
Scent: The Collected Works
Dinesh Allirajah
The collected works of the much loved NW writer, Dinesh Allirajah
The Life-Writer
David Constantine
A new novel, written by critically acclaimed short story writer, David Constantine.
Points of Origin
Diao Dou
A window into the contemporary Chinese psyche through the short stories from one of China's leading satirists, Diao Dou.
In Another Country: Selected Stories
David Constantine
Gathering together stories from over two decades of writing, this selection demonstrates why Constantine has been hailed as ‘perhaps the finest of contemporary writers in this form’. Featuring the story that inspired the motion picture, 45 Years.
The Drone Eats with Me
Atef Abu Saif
Saif's diary of the Gaza War in 2014, with foreword by Noam Chomsky. Shortlisted for the MEMO Palestine Book Award.
The Well of Trapped Words
Sema Kaygusuz
Blending mysticism and modernity, Kaygusuz’s stories demonstrate why she is regarded as one of the most promising writers in Turkey today
Jebel Marra
Mish Green
Mish Green – a former aid worker in Darfur – re-tells the story of the Sudanese civil war from 15 different perspectives, capturing by turns the brutal indifference of the government war machine, the terrible scars inflicted on individuals caught in its path, and the complex melting pot of experiences that constitutes any relief effort.
Moss Witch
Sara Maitland
Each story in Sara Maitland’s new collection enacts a daring kind of alchemy, fusing together raw elements of scientific theory with ancient myth.
The Iraqi Christ
Hassan Blasim
From legends of the desert to horrors of the forest, Blasim’s stories blend the fantastic with the everyday, the surreal with the all-too-real.
Hitting Trees With Sticks
Jane Rogers
A young textile designer quits Britain to work for a Nigerian women’s refuge, confident that this is her one chance to make a difference…
You Have 24 Hours to Love Us
Guy Ware
Whether living under a totalitarian regime or simply getting through the day in a grindingly predictable metropolis, Ware’s characters struggle with the urge to redefine themselves, to start again, to reboot.
Cold Sea Stories
Pawel Huelle
The characters in Pawel Huelle’s mesmerising stories find themselves, willingly or not, at the heart of epic narratives; legends and histories that stretch far beyond the limits of their own lives.
Tea at the Midland
David Constantine
The characters in David Constantine’s fourth collection are often delicately caught in moments of defiance. Constantine’s bewitching, finely-wrought stories give us permission to escape.
The Stone Thrower
Adam Marek
Pulsing at the core of Adam Marek’s much-anticipated second collection is a single, unifying theme: a parent’s instinct to protect a particularly vulnerable child.
It Was Just, Yesterday
Mirja Unge
The characters in Mirja Unge’s debut collection are all, in their own way, evading something; whether failing to confront the true nature of an encounter, or avoiding responsibilities as a parent, sibling or friend.
Planet Box
Diana Syder
Planet Box is a collaboration that re-configures our idea of the poetry book.
Lifting The Piano With One Hand
Gaia Holmes
Yorkshire-born poet Gaia Holmes' much-anticipated second collection.
Twice in a Lifetime
Ágúst Borgþór Sverrisson
Each of Sverrisson’s stories offers an intricate study in the precariousness of life, the frailty of every fleeting opportunity.
The Last Tram
Nedim Gursel
In these stories Gürsel crisscrosses modern Europe, settling in some cities — like Paris — for many years, visiting others several times, decades apart.
On Flying Objects
Emil Hakl
Whether evading the expectations of adult life, or finding themselves drawn to characters they’re simultaneously repulsed by, each one of Hakl's characters holds a mirror up to the peculiar failings of masculinity.
The War Tour
Zoe Lambert
Zoe Lambert’s stories weave a dark and disturbing web, interlacing documentary accounts with imagined testimonies to give voice to the many silenced casualties of war.
The Madman of Freedom Square
Hassan Blasim
Blasim’s stories present an uncompromising view of the West's relationship with Iraq, spanning over twenty years and taking in everything from the Iran-Iraq War through to the Occupation...
The Shieling
David Constantine
The characters in David Constantine’s remarkable new collection are united by an urge to absent themselves, to abscond from the intolerable pressures of normal life and withdraw into strange ideas, political causes, even private languages.
The Silence Room
Sean O'Brien
Chain-smoking alcoholics, warring academics, gothic stalkers and aspiring writers are just some of the visitors that browse the mysterious library at the heart of Sean O’Brien’s fiction debut.
Amuse-Bouche
Arnon Grunberg
Bizarre, garrulous, self-confident, often desperately lonely; such is the variety of characters Grunberg meets...
Stone Tree
Gyrðir Elíasson
In almost every one of Eliasson's stories we find people taking leave of their normal lives in order to take their dreams more seriously.
I Love You When I'm Drunk
Empar Moliner
So delicate and fleet-footed are these stories, even the most single-minded protagonists win us over with a raucous charm that makes us love them and hate them in equal measure.
Long Days
Maike Wetzel
With pared down but insistent language, Wetzel achieves a poise and clarity and presents lives that are as arresting as they are arrested.
Instruction Manual for Swallowing
Adam Marek
Welcome to the surreal, misshapen universe of Adam Marek’s first collection; a bestiary of hybrids from the techno-crazed future and mythical past.
Tiny Deaths
Robert Shearman
Robert Shearman’s debut collection offers a gravity-defying spectacle: a procession of perfectly weighted what-ifs floating just above the real world, self-contained hypotheticals all buoyed up by a single, infinitely variable theme: mortality.
Dangerous Driving
Chris Woods
The poems in Chris Woods' second collection remind us to take time out from our lives, from ourselves, and share with us both the pleasures and surprises that come with even the smallest skive…
Dr James Graham's Celestial Bed
Gaia Holmes
Dr James Graham's Celestial Bed marks the arrival of yet another great Yorkshire poet.
Pray For Us Sinners
Joolz Denby
The whirlwind of words that is Denby’s fifth collection builds legends within legends, retells myths and casts new ones where you least expect them.
Under the Dam
David Constantine
Entering Constantine’s stories is like stepping out into a wind of words, a swarm of language. His prose is as fluid as the water that surges and swells through all his landscapes.
Mollusc
Helen Clare
Helen Clare's relationship poems are coloured with the intricacy of a cross-section, the emotional strata of a dissector’s imagination.
While There is Light
Tariq Mehmood
While There Is Light is a fictionalised account of the events leading up to the arrest of one of the so called 'Bradford 12'.
Anthologies
Kurdistan + 100
Qadir Agid,
Yildiz Cakar,
Selahattin Demirtas,
Omer Dilsoz,
Muharrem Erbey…
The first collection of Kurdish speculative fiction ever to be published in the UK, the third in the bestselling series.
The Cuckoo Cage
M.Y. Alam,
Divya Ghelani,
Luan Goldie,
Gaia Holmes,
Pete Kalu…
Ten short stories by British authors inspired by the ‘superheroes’ of British protest history, from Ned Ludd to Captain Swing, and scurge of the Romans, Cassivel-launus, to 90s anti-roads protestor Swampy.
The Book of Barcelona
Borja Bagunyà,
Carlota Gurt,
Empar Moliner,
Jordi Nopca,
Marta Orriols…
In this new addition to Comma's Reading the City series, ten stories about Barcelona by ten of its most prominent authors are translated from both Catalan and Spanish into English for the first time.
The American Way
Talal Abu Shawish,
Gabriel Angel,
Gioconda Belli,
Gianfranco Bettin,
Najwa Binshatwan…
Covering US foreign policy from 1945 to the present day, an anthology of specially commissioned stories by authors from across the globe addressing America's history of intervention, including IPAF shortlisted Libyan author Najwa Binshatwan and Jhalak Prize winner Jacob Ross.
The BBC National Short Story Award 2021
The sixteenth annual BBC National Short Story Award returns to showcase the finest exponents of the form in Britain today.
The Book of Reykjavik
Friðgeir Einarsson,
Kristín Eiríksdóttir,
Þórarinn Eldjárn,
Einar Már Guðmundsson,
Björn Halldórsson…
Ten stories about the capital of Iceland, translated into English for the first time. Featuring a foreword by award-winning author Sjon.
Refugee Tales: Volume IV
Shami Chakrabarti,
Kyon Ferril,
Christy Lefteri,
Robert Macfarlane,
Khodadad Mohammadi…
In a difficult year marked by divisive politics, ongoing Brexit negotiations, and a global pandemic, the plight of the refugee has been dropped from the front pages. But as the coronavirus death toll rises, the cost of denial and indecision is paid by real people
The Book of Venice
Elisabetta Baldisserotto,
Gianfranco Bettin,
Annalisa Bruni,
Michele Catozzi,
Cristiano Dorigo…
A varied and expansive look at one of the world’s oldest tourist and cultural centres.
The Book of Ramallah
Maya Abu Al-Hayat,
Anas Abu Rahma,
Liana Badr,
Ahlam Bsharat,
Ameer Hamad…
Featuring ten short stories from the Palestinian city of Ramallah, offering a glimpse of life inside this city of refuge, full of hope, humour and precious moments of intimacy.
The Book of Jakarta
utiuts .,
Sabda Armandio,
Hanna Fransisca,
Cyntha Hariadi,
Afrizal Malna…
Traversing the different neighbourhoods and districts, the ten stories gathered here attempt to capture the essence of contemporary Jakarta and its writing.
The New Abject
Alan Beard,
Bernardine Bishop,
Ramsey Campbell,
David Constantine,
Margaret Drabble…
A sequel to Comma‘s award-winning horror anthology The New Uncanny. Featuring specially commissioned stories inspired by Julia Kristeva’s theory of the abject.
The Book of Shanghai
Wang Anyi,
Xiao Bai,
Shen Dacheng,
Chen Danyan,
Cai Jun…
Showcasing ten contemporary Chinese authors writing about the futuristic metropolis of Shanghai. Part of Comma’s popular ‘Reading the City’ series. Published in partnership with the Confucius Institute.
The BBC National Short Story Award 2020
Jan Carson,
Sarah Hall,
Jack Houston,
Caleb Azumah Nelson,
Eley Williams…
One of the most prestigious literary prizes for a single short story in the UK reaches its fifteenth anniversary.
Resist: Stories of Uprising
Julia Bell,
SJ Bradley,
Jude Brown,
Lucy Caldwell,
Steve Chambers…
The paperback edition of our popular anthology exploring 20 key moments of British protest history, from Boudica to Grenfell.
Europa28
Asja Bakić,
Zsófia Bán,
Annelies Beck,
Silvia Bencivelli,
Hilary Cottam…
28 women from 28 different countries share their vision for the future of Europe.
The Book of Newcastle
Jessica Andrews,
Julia Darling,
Crista Ermiya,
Chrissie Glazebrook,
J. A. Mensah…
Part of Comma’s popular ‘Reading the City’ series, The Book of Newcastle featured ten contemporary authors writing about the city, edited by Costa Short Story Award winning author Angela Readman.
The Book of Sheffield
Margaret Drabble,
Tim Etchells,
Naomi Frisby,
Philip Hensher,
Helen Mort…
Evoking the past, present and future of Sheffield, this is a timely collection of stories from ten writers for whom the city of Sheffield is - or once was - home, and who have found its landscape and history, the city and its surroundings, ripe for creative interpretation.
Resist: Stories of Uprising
Julia Bell,
SJ Bradley,
Jude Brown,
Lucy Caldwell,
Steve Chambers…
The follow-up to Comma’s successful Protest: Stories of Resistance anthology, featuring twenty authors, whose stories have been written in collaboration with historians and eye-witnesses from centuries of British protest.
The BBC National Short Story Award 2019
Lucy Caldwell,
Lynda Clark,
Jacqueline Crooks,
Tamsin Grey,
Jo Lloyd…
Featuring the five stories shortlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award 2019, the 14th year of the UK's most prestigious short story prize.
Palestine + 100
Talal Abu Shawish,
Tasnim Abutabikh,
Selma Dabbagh,
Emad El-Din Aysha,
Samir El-Youssef…
Palestine + 100 poses a question to contemporary Palestinian writers: what might your home city look like in the year 2048 – exactly 100 years after Nakba, the displacement of more than 700,000 people after the Israeli War of Independence?
Refugee Tales: Volume III
Monica Ali,
Lisa Appignanesi,
David Constantine,
Bernardine Evaristo,
Patrick Gale…
The third volume of Refugee Tales, writers and poets tell the stories of refugees who have suffered under UK immigration rule.
The Book of Cairo
Eman Abdelrahim,
Hassan Abdel Mawgoud,
Nael Eltoukhy,
Areej Gamal,
Hatem Hafez…
This collection brings together a new generation of writers (many of whom have never had their work translated into English) and their writings about the city.
The Book of Tehran
Atoosa Afshin-Navid,
Fereshteh Ahmadi,
Kourosh Asadi,
Azardokht Bahrami,
Hamed Habibi…
Ten short stories from the Iranian capital of Tehran, translated into English for the first time.
Reading the City series - International four book bundle #1
Get four titles from our Reading the City series in this exclusive four book bundle for a discounted price. While stocks last!
Reading the City series - UK cities three book bundle
Get three titles from our Reading the City series in this exclusive three book bundle containing our three UK city anthologies for a discounted price.
The Book of Birmingham
Balvinder Banga,
Alan Beard,
Jendella Benson,
Kit de Waal,
Sharon Duggal…
Part of Comma’s award-winning ‘Reading the City’ series, featuring landmark local talent from Birmingham’s burgeoning book scene.
The BBC National Short Story Award 2018
Kerry Andrew,
Sarah Hall,
Kiare Ladner,
Ingrid Persaud,
Nell Stevens…
The thirteenth year of the esteemed BBC prize shortlist, this year introduced by head judge Stig Abell.
Reading the City series - International four book bundle #2
Get four titles from our Reading the City series in this exclusive four book bundle for a discounted price.
Reading the City series - International four book bundle #3
Get four titles from our Reading the City series in this exclusive four book bundle for a discounted price.
The New Uncanny
A.S. Byatt,
Ramsey Campbell,
Frank Cottrell Boyce,
Ian Duhig,
Matthew Holness…
14 leading authors have here been challenged to write fresh fictional interpretations of what the uncanny might mean in the 21st century, to update Freud’s famous checklist of what gives us the creeps, and to give the hulking canon of uncanny fiction a shot in the arm, a shock to the neck-bolts...
The Book of Havana
Daniel Chavarria,
Irina J. Davidenko,
Eduardo del Llano,
Ahmel Echevarría Peré,
Jorge Enrique Lage…
Leading you through the backstreets and bars of Havana, ten stories demonstrating the power of contemporary Cuban literature.
The Book of Riga
Pauls Bankovskis,
Ilze Jansone,
Arno Jundze,
Sven Kuzmins,
Vilis Lācītis…
The Book of Riga brings together ten short stories written about and from the capital of Latvia, showcasing the work of some of the country’s most well-known, and exciting emerging writers.
Protest: Stories of Resistance
Sandra Alland,
Martyn Bedford,
Kate Clanchy,
David Constantine,
Frank Cottrell Boyce…
The paperback edition of our bestselling anthology of British protest inspired short stories.
Banthology
Anoud .,
Wajdi al-Ahdal,
Ubah Cristina Ali Farah,
Najwa Binshatwan,
Rania Mamoun…
New stories specially written in response to President Trump’s divisive immigration ban, featuring established and emerging writers from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
The Book of Tbilisi
Ina Archuashvili,
Gela Chkvanava,
Erekle Deisadze,
Shota Iatashvili,
Dato Kardava…
The Book of Tbilisi brings together ten short stories written about and from the Georgian capital, showcasing the work of some of the country’s most exciting and decorated contemporary writers.
Conradology
Farah Ahamed,
SJ Bradley,
Agnieszka Dale,
Jacek Dukaj,
Giles Foden…
Polish and British writers journey into the heart of darkness that is Europe to write responses and meditations on Conrad’s writing.
The BBC National Short Story Award 2017
Will Eaves,
Jenni Fagan,
Cynan Jones,
Benjamin Markovits,
Helen Oyeyemi…
The twelfth year of the BBC prize shortlist anthology, featuring five superb short stories.
Protest: Stories of Resistance
Sandra Alland,
Martyn Bedford,
Kate Clanchy,
David Constantine,
Frank Cottrell Boyce…
This book asks 20 authors and 20 historians to bring crucial moments of British protest to life.
Refugee Tales: Volume II
Caroline Bergvall,
Josh Cohen,
Ian Duhig,
Rachel Holmes,
Jackie Kay…
The sequel to Refugee Tales, telling the true stories of asylum seekers who’ve suffered at the hands of Britain’s policy of ‘indefinite detention’, in the form of a modern-day Canterbury Tales.
Thought X: Fictions and Hypotheticals
Sandra Alland,
Annie Clarkson,
Marie Louise Cookson,
Claire Dean,
Zoe Gilbert…
An anthology of specially-commissioned stories exploring thought experiments and their use in science to crack fundamental problems.
Iraq + 100
Anoud .,
Hassan Abdulrazzak,
Ibrahim Al-Marashi,
Zhraa Alhaboby,
Ali Bader…
Iraq + 100 poses a question to ten Iraqi writers: what might your country look like in the year 2103 – a century after the disastrous American- and British-led invasion, and 87 years down the line from its current, nightmarish battle for survival?
The Book of Dhaka
Wasi Ahmed,
Moinul Ahsan Saber,
Shaheen Akhtar,
Salma Bani,
Bipradash Barua…
Stories taken from the bustling, chaotic city of Dhaka by ten talented writers. At their core, these stories are of quintessential human relationships and motivations that would have resonance in virtually any part of the world.
The BBC National Short Story Award 2016
Tahmina Anam,
Claire-Louise Bennett,
Lavinia Greenlaw,
Hilary Mantel,
K.J. Orr…
Now in its eleventh year, this highly anticipated collection celebrates the very best in contemporary British fiction with an all-female shortlist of renowned authors, who explore the short story form in spectacular fashion.
Refugee Tales
Patience Agbabi,
Jade Amoli-Jackson,
Chris Cleave,
Stephen Collis,
Inua Ellams…
Fourteen stories exploring real life refugee experiences, told in the style of the Canterbury Tales
The Book of Khartoum
Bushra al-Fadil,
Isa al-Hilu,
Ali al-Makk,
Ahmed al-Malik,
Abdel Aziz Baraka Sakin…
Short stories about the Sudanese capital, featuring ten authors including Bushra al-Fadil and his 2017 Caine Prize winning story.
Spindles: Stories from the Science of Sleep
Martyn Bedford,
Lisa Blower,
Annie Clarkson,
Claire Dean,
Zoe Gilbert…
Short stories informed by explorations of the science of sleep
The BBC National Short Story Award 2015
Jonathan Buckley,
Mark Haddon,
Frances Leviston,
Hilary Mantel,
Jeremy Page…
The BBC National Short Story Award with BookTrust celebrates its tenth year with a stellar line-up of authors including winner Jonathan Buckley and runner-up Mark Haddon.
The Book of Tokyo
Kaori Ekuni,
Hideo Furukawa,
Osamu Hashimoto,
Toshiyuki Horie,
Mitsuyo Kakuta…
Bestselling anthology of short fiction about the city of Tokyo, translated into English for the first time.
Beta-Life
Dinesh Allirajah,
Martyn Bedford,
Lucy Caldwell,
Frank Cottrell Boyce,
Claire Dean…
Short stories from an A-Life Future, inspired by the vway we interact with technology, the roles we adopt in an increasingly ‘intelligent’ environment, and how we interface with each other.
The BBC National Short Story Award 2014
Tessa Hadley,
Francesca Rhydderch,
Lionel Shriver,
Zadie Smith,
Rose Tremain…
The five shortlisted stories in the UK's most prestiguous award for short fiction by authors Tessa Hadley, Francesca Rhydderch, Lionel Shriver, Zadie Smith & Rose Tremain
The Book of Gaza
Atef Abu Saif,
Mona Abu Sharekh,
Talal Abu Shawish,
Zaki al 'Ela,
Yusra al Khatib…
This anthology brings together some of the pioneers of the Gazan short story from that era, as well as younger exponents of the form, with ten stories that offer glimpses of life in the Strip that go beyond the global media headlines.
The Book of Rio
Cesar Cardaso,
João Gilberto Noll,
Nei Lopes,
Patrícia Melo,
Marcelo Moutinho…
The ten stories in this anthology bring to life the complex and ever-changing face of Rio de Janeiro behind the tourist-tailored images of the city.
Morphologies
Brian Aldiss,
Stephen Baxter,
Ramsey Campbell,
David Constantine,
Frank Cottrell Boyce…
Covering a century of writing that arguably saw all the major short forms emerge, from Hawthorne's 'Twice Told Tales' to Kafka's modernist nightmares, these essays offer new and unique inroads into classic texts, both for the literature student and aspiring writer.
The Daughters of the Late Colonel and other stories
Katherine Mansfield…
Ten of the best Mansfield stories specially selected by the acclaimed author and critic Alison MacLeod who also provides a critical essay.
Gusev and other stories
Anton Chekhov…
Ten of the best Chekhov stories specially selected by the acclaimed author and critic Frank Cottrell Boyce who also provides a critical essay.
The Man of the Crowd
Edgar Allan Poe…
In this new edition, Sean O'Brien introduces a selection of stories from the master of the American Gothic short story, as well as providing a specially written critical analysis on the form and style of Poe's writing.
Young Goodman Brown and Other Stories
Nathaniel Hawthorne…
Sara Maitland selects and introduces a collection Hawthorne's best stories.
Lot No. 249
Arthur Conan Doyle…
Respected crime writer, critic and editor Martin Edwards introduces a selection of Conan Doyle's most influential and innovative stories.
They and other stories
Rudyard Kipling…
Ten of the best Kipling stories specially selected by the acclaimed author and critic Adam Roberts, who also provides an introductory essay.
The Rats in the Walls and other stories
H.P. Lovecraft…
Ten of the best Lovecraft stories, specially selected by the acclaimed author and critic Ramsey Campbell, who also provides a introductory essay.
The BBC National Short Story Award 2013
Lisa Blower,
Sarah Hall,
Lionel Shriver,
Lucy Wood…
The stories shortlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award 2013 all use brevity with striking results.
Bio-Punk
Jane Feaver,
Simon Ings,
Annie Kirby,
Toby Litt,
Sara Maitland…
14 leading authors have here been challenged to write fresh fictional interpretations of what the uncanny might mean in the 21st century.
The BBC International Short Story Award 2012
Lucy Caldwell,
Julian Gough,
M.J. Hyland,
Krys Lee,
Deborah Levy…
In honour of the 2012 Olympics, this edition opened its doors to international short story submissions from all over the world, thus becoming the first BBC International Short Story Award.
Shi Cheng: Short Stories from Urban China
Jie Chen,
Han Dong,
Diao Dou,
Cau Kou,
Ding Liying…
The challenges depicted in these stories are uniquely Chinese, but the energy and ingenuity with which their authors approach them is something readers everywhere can marvel at.
The BBC National Short Story Award 2011
M.J. Hyland,
Alison MacLeod,
Jon McGregor,
K.J. Orr,
D.W. Wilson…
The 2011 edition of the celebrated BBC National Short Story Award, featuring the authors D.W. Wilson, Jon McGregor, M.J. Hyland and more.
Lemistry
Brian Aldiss,
Annie Clarkson,
Frank Cottrell Boyce,
Jacek Dukaj,
Trevor Hoyle…
British and Polish novelists join screenwriters, poets, computer engineers, and artists, to celebrate and explore Lem’s legacy through short stories and essays.
Litmus: Short Stories from Modern Science
Kate Clanchy,
Annie Clarkson,
Frank Cottrell Boyce,
Stella Duffy,
Maggie Gee…
This anthology draws out and distills science’s love of narrative from a wide range of scientific disciplines, weaving theory into very human stories, and delving into the humanity of theorists and experimenters as they stood on the brink of momentous discoveries.
The BBC National Short Story Award 2010
David Constantine,
Aminatta Forna,
Sarah Hall,
Jon McGregor,
Helen Oyeyemi…
This year's shortlist brings together a high calibre group of new and established authors exploring human relationships at their most dysfunctional and yet sustaining.
The Book of Istanbul
Turker Armaner,
Murrat Gülsoy,
Nedim Gursel,
Muge Iplikci,
Karin Karakasli…
This book brings together ten short stories from some of Turkey’s leading writers, taking us on a literary tour of the city, from its famous landmarks to its darkened back streets.
When It Changed
Michael Arditti,
Chaz Brenchley,
Paul Cornell,
Frank Cottrell Boyce,
Patricia Duncker…
When It Changed is an attempt to put authors and scientists back in touch with each other, to re-introduce research ideas with literary concerns, and to re-forge the alloy that once made SF great.
Parenthesis: a New Generation in Short Fiction
Anna Ball,
Suzanne Batty,
Paul Brownsey,
John Carnahan,
Tracy Emerson…
Comma's second anthology of new writers showcases 20 of the most imaginative and daring voices taking up the form; writers dedicated to charting the far reaches of this terrain right at the outset of their careers; writers who prove it's best to stay short.
ReBerth: Stories from Cities on the Edge
Dinesh Allirajah,
Artur Becker,
Christian Garcin,
Jean-Claude Izzo,
Adam Kaminski…
Featuring short stories by twelve acclaimed writers from the Cities on the Edge, ReBerth explores these landscapes of change - the social tensions, the scars of war and economic decline, the attempts at regeneration, and the startling and sometimes unsavoury secrets of how these cities’ inhabitants thrive and survive.
Brace
Charlotte Allan,
Juliet Bates,
Annie Clarkson,
Adam Connors,
Paul de Havilland…
Organ-playing wunderkinds, poets on government re-employment schemes, unlikely celebrity party guests…
The Book of Liverpool
Dinesh Allirajah,
Tracy Aston,
Beryl Bainbridge,
Clive Barker,
Ramsey Campbell…
Bringing together fiction from some of the city’s most celebrated writers, The Book of Liverpool traces the unique contours that decades of social and economic change can impress on a city.
M.O.: Crimes of Practice
Robert Barnard,
Martyn Bedford,
Ann Cleeves,
Bernie Crosthwaite,
Carole Ann Davis…
These stories demonstrate that, even with the most despicable of crimes, there’s methodology in the madness.
Madinah: City Stories from the Middle East
Gamal al-Ghitani,
Yousef al-Mohaimeed,
Fadwa al-Qasem,
Brian Aldiss,
Hassan Blasim…
For all we think we know of the conflict and exoticism of the region, nothing opens more doors to what we don’t than its writing. Here, ten short stories by new and established writers have been selected and translated in English for the first time, to open just such a door…
Elsewhere: Stories from Small Town Europe
Gyrðir Elíasson,
Frode Grytten,
Michael O'Conghaile,
Danielle Picard,
Mehmet Zaman Saçlioglu…
Pressed to describe what the phrase ‘small town’ conjures up, we’d be hard pushed to say anything positive: closed-minded; petty; provincial; parochial. On a broad European canvas, however, the rich traditions of short story writing challenge these preconceptions.
Phobic: Modern Horror Stories
Chaz Brenchley,
Ramsey Campbell,
Paul Cornell,
Frank Cottrell Boyce,
Jeremy Dyson…
Phobic shines a torch into the unlit areas of the modern subconscious and suggests the more we know, the more we realise how worried we really should be.
The Book of Leeds
M.Y. Alam,
Martyn Bedford,
Ian Duhig,
Jeremy Dyson,
Susan Everett…
Bringing together fiction from some of the city's most celebrated writers, The Book of Leeds traces the unique contours that fifty years of social and economic change can impress on a city.
Decapolis: Tales from Ten Cities
Larissa Boehning,
David Constantine,
Arnon Grunberg,
Emil Hakl,
Amanda Michalopoulou…
Decapolis is a book which imagines the city otherwise. Bringing together ten writers from across Europe, it offers snapshots of their native cities, freezing for a moment the characters and complexities that define them.
Ellipsis 2: Comma Modern Shorts
Polly Clark,
Zoe Lambert,
Jane Rogers…
The stories in Ellipsis 2 demonstrate the transforming, often alienating affect a relationship can have on the individuals in it, and remind us that being next of kin isn’t always kind.
I.D.: Crimes of Identity
Carla Banks,
Robert Barnard,
Tonino Benacquista,
Natasha Cooper,
Mat Coward…
A showcase of shorts from the Crime Writers' Association which celebrates the ‘who’ in the whodunnit, the psyche behind the psychological profile.
Ellipsis 1: Comma Modern Shorts
Tim Cooke,
Sean O'Brien,
Jean Sprackland…
Ellipsis is a series celebrating the 'short story sequence' - that interlocking daisy-chain of narrative produced when stories knit together to form a continuum of character or theme.
Bracket: A New Generation in Fiction
Penny Anderson,
Patrick Belshaw,
Sheena Brabazon,
Jaime Campbell,
Tim Cooke…
Bracket brings together 20 promising, previously unpublished UK writers.
Manchester Stories 2
David Bowker,
Heather Leach,
Jane Rogers,
Adrian Slatcher,
Cath Staincliffe…
A collection of stories documenting the modern Mancunian experience. The second in the series.
Manchester Stories 7: Gothic Tales
Lucy Ashley,
David Bowker,
Tim Cooke,
Peter Humphreys,
Andy Murray…
The theme for this special edition is ‘gothic’ and modern, urban responses to what gothic means, or can mean, in modern Britain.
Leeds Stories 2
Simon Armitage,
Joolz Denby,
Janet Fisher,
Sophie Hannah,
Char March…
Part 2 of a series of mini short story anthologies celebrating Leeds writing.
Newcastle Stories
Julia Darling,
Linda France,
Sean O'Brien,
Pauline Plummer,
Fiona Ritchie Walker…
Published in September 04, issue 1 Newcastle Stories 1, six established and award-winning Newcastle authors kick-started a unique new magazine series that featured anthologies of new work twice a year and free to readers of The Crack.
Liverpool Stories 1
Charlotte Allan,
Dinesh Allirajah,
Ramsey Campbell,
Martin Edwards,
Margaret Murphy…
This, the first in a series of short story mini-anthologies, celebrates Liverpool’s on-going literary output through accessible, magazine-style collections – distributed to as many readers as possible.
Hyphen: an anthology of short stories by poets
Steven Blyth,
Helen Clare,
Polly Clark,
David Constantine,
Matthew Francis…
Established and award winning poets from around Britian and the UK have been asked to 'interlope' into the unknown territory of the short - most of them for the first time and each bringing with them a new, poetic perspective as well as an intuitive feel for the snapshot's hidden narratives.
Manchester Stories 6: Europride Special
Stella Duffy,
Patrick Gale,
Larry Kramer,
Val McDermid…
This was the first in the Manchester series to look beyond Greater Manchester for its authors, bringing together an international cast of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender writers from Britain and abroad, as well as home grown talent, to celebrate Manchester hosting Europride, the largest celebration of Gay and Lesbian culture in Europe.
Manchester Stories 5: Caesura
Linda Chase,
Julia Copus,
Shamshad Khan,
Joanne Limburg,
Grevel Lindop…
Both featured in City Life and sold separately, this issue was the first of the booklets to be distributed FREE to public transport users in the Greater Manchester area.
Leeds Stories 1
Martyn Bedford,
Tony Harrison,
James Nash,
Tom Palmer,
David Peace…
This is the first in a series of specially commissioned, original short stories celebrating the strength and richness of the city's literary alumni.
Manchester Stories 4
Penny Anderson,
Amanda Dalton,
Paul Morley,
Tim Parks,
Adam Roberts…
Launched June 21, 2002, Geoffrey Manton Building, MMU, Manchester as part of a series of 'Manchester Writing' events within the Literatures of the Commonwealth Festival.
Manchester Stories 3
David Constantine,
Gwendoline Riley,
Carl Tighe,
Emma Jane Unsworth,
Gerard Woodward…
Launched March 11, 2002, on the 25th Floor of the CIS Building, Manchester, in conjunction with Co-Op Insurance Services.
Comma
Michael Bracewell,
Wayne Clews,
David Constantine,
Amanda Dalton,
Shelagh Delaney…
Real or surreal, despairing or defiant, these stories prove that far from being a genre of offcuts and unfinished ideas, the short story, if only we give it a moment, is very much alive and well.
Manchester Stories 1
Sherry Ashworth,
Nicholas Blincoe,
Tibor Fischer,
Livi Michael,
Jeff Noon…
Six Tales of City Life, published in 1998.
Novels
Ditch-Crawl
John Latham
Ditch-crawling has no rules, just aesthetic principles…John Latham’s first novel constructs an Escher-like maze of what ifs and what nows. Thronging with characters, this is a journey through the unattended subplots of our lives, the on-going narrative that subconscious itself weaves together.
Home is Where
Heather Beck
A ground-breaking literary vision, swerving in and out of the isolated monologue of an isolated elderly woman