The Book of Bradford
A City in Short Fiction
Edited by Saima Mir
Featuring: Nick Ahad, Marjorie ‘Malachi’ Whitaker, David Barnett, Sairish Hussain , Abda Khan, M.Y. Alam, Bill Broady , Becky Cherriman , Marcia Hutchinson , Lesley McEvoy & Ross Raisin
Format: Paperback
Book type: Anthology
ISBN-13: 9781917093002
Published: 02 Oct 2025
About
In the year 1905, infamous occultist Aleister Crowley gets more than he bargained for on a passing visit to Bradford...
A successful businessman, returning to his native city, suddenly finds himself overwhelmed by a yearning for his youth…
A single-mother despairs at the growing estrangement of her son, while protesting delays with the city centre’s redevelopment, only to be surprised by the city’s power to heal…
The stories gathered in The Book of Bradford remind us that anyone who tries to dismiss Yorkshire’s third largest city (or its resurgence) does so at their peril. Time and again, Bradford has demonstrated an unexpected resilience. After decades of challenges, the former ‘wool capital of the world’ has evolved into a proudly modern city, one famed for its rich diversity, youthful energy and vibrant cultural landscape – and, crucially, a city unashamed of the scars of all those hard-won victories. From estranged family members to newly-acquainted neighbours to cafe workers and their regular customers, this collection is filled with characters that epitomise Bradford’s ability to build bridges, overcome differences and move forward.
Commissioned by Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture.
See Writing the City: Bradford Short Story Course event HERESee All Write Up North: Northern Voices Panel event HERESee Summer Solstice Book Fair at Leeds Lit Fest event HERESee The Book of Bradford Launch event HERESee The Book of Bradford at TOWN Festival event HERESee Dark Underbellies - Ross Raisin Author Interview event HEREPress
'Despite no two stories being the same and no two characters being much alike, this collection as a whole makes a reader who has never set foot in the city feel as if it was familiar… Bradford as the 2025 City of Culture could not have been more proudly or honestly represented than in this collection of rich and deeply human stories.' - Zimmer Magazine
Read this interview with editor Saima Mir in The Yorkshire Post
Saima Mir on BBC Radio 4's Start the Week
Coverage in Keighley News
Coverage in Telegraph & Argus
Coverage in Prolific North
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