Complete fiction: why 'the short story renaissance' is a myth

With soaring sales, viral hits like Cat Person and a cameo by Tom Hanks, the form seems to be staging a comeback. But did it ever go away?In 2017, almost 50% more short story collections were sold than in the previous year. It was the best year for short stories since 2010. Booksellers are reporting a surge in popularity for the form, commentators note publishers are buying more collections and issuing them with greater care and enthusiasm; in December the newcomer Kristen Roupenian cut five- and seven-figure deals in the UK and US after her New Yorker story “Cat Person” went viral. On top of all that, collections are being reviewed more than ever before, the Sunday Times EFG short story award (worth £30,000) has received its highest ever number of entries and the BBC national short story award continues to grow in popularity. We are experiencing the renaissance of the short story form, right?Wrong; which isn’t to say 2017 wasn’t a good year for the short story – it was, but the “renaissance of the short story” story is an old one that is rolled out year after year. Does that matter? I think it does. By getting caught up in this recurring phantom narrative, and dwelling on press release froth rather than the work being produced, we spurn the opportunity to talk about short stories in a way that might actually deepen how they are understood and engaged with by readers.How can the short story ever have time to wither, given the frequency of its rebirth?In the cases of Tom... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2018-03-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #books sold #complete fiction #cat person #tom hanks #short stories #short story #jojo moyes

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This new vending machine will provide New Yorkers with short stories on the go.

Struggling to read more but just can’t find the time? Well, Brooklyn’s Center for Fiction may have the solution (for free!). The staff at the not-for-profit is curating short stories for NYC’s first Short Story Dispenser, which is scheduled to be in commission starting October 2nd. Visitors to... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-09-22 18:38:46 UTC ]
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Caldwell shortlisted for BBC National Short Story Award for third time

Lucy Caldwell has been shortlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award for the third time, in a year dominated by new voices. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-10 09:37:40 UTC ]
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Why O. Henry is so much more than those short stories you had to read in school

A new collection, ‘O. Henry: 100 Stories,’ demonstrates the allure of this masterful story writer Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-09-08 13:00:00 UTC ]
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10 of the Best Novels and Short Stories about the First World War

The story of the First World War has been told in fiction, film, and television many times since the Great War began in 1914. Previously, we gathered together some of the best poems about the First World War, but what about the novels and short stories that have been written? […] Continue reading at Interesting Literature

[ Interesting Literature | 2021-09-02 14:00:03 UTC ]
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Deal takes 2021 Moth Short Story Prize

American writer Janice Deal’s “Lost City” has won the Moth Short Story Prize 2021, judged by Ali Smith, while Stratford-upon-Avon butcher Kathy Stevens has scooped second prize. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-01 16:38:23 UTC ]
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W&N snaps up Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s short story collection

The late Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s collection of short stories, The City of Mist, has gone to Weidenfeld & Nicolson. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-31 06:33:59 UTC ]
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Madrid’s ‘Desperate Literature’ Short Fiction Prize: Paige Cowan-Hall

The fourth outing of the award produced by the Desperate Literature bookshop in Madrid features work centered on colonial oppression. The post Madrid’s ‘Desperate Literature’ Short Fiction Prize: Paige Cowan-Hall appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-08-13 21:40:40 UTC ]
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7 Short Stories About the Inner Lives of Athletes

The 2020 Tokyo Games will be defined by many things—the anachronism of its title, the risk of superspreading, the welcome absence of Matt Lauer—but, hopefully, these Olympics will also be remembered for bringing mental health to the forefront of popular discourse. Simone Biles’ “twisties.”... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2021-08-10 11:00:00 UTC ]
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4thWrite short story prize reveals ‘engaging and provocative’ 2021 shortlist

Seeking out the best new Black, Asian and minority ethnic writers, this year’s finalists range across continents to show ‘the best of what stories can do’The fallout from civil war invades the London home of a high-flying Sri Lankan couple. An elderly Jamaican woman faces up bravely to the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-07-29 11:00:30 UTC ]
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8 Short Stories About People Who Want What They Can’t Have

Short stories, to me, are sparked by desire. I don’t mean they’re all love stories, though they certainly can be. I mean they are collisions or conflagrations, small or spectacular traffic accidents in which the desires of one person bump up against the impossible—whether in the form of some... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2021-07-26 11:00:00 UTC ]
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7 Short Stories about Political Issues That Resist Easy Answers

It can be too easy to write villains— people stunted and incapable of love or compassion—when we write about opponents of our politics, especially in short stories, which have so much less space to detail nuance. Sometimes writing about villains and pointing the finger is necessary in a world... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2021-07-16 11:00:00 UTC ]
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Choi wins £30k Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award

American author Susan Choi has won the 2021 Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award with her "luminous" story "Flashlight". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-07-09 16:07:00 UTC ]
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D'Almeida wins Commonwealth Short Story Prize with 'captivating' tale

Kanya D’Almeida has been declared the overall winner of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize, for a "captivating" tale set in a Sri Lankan "sanctuary for the forsaken". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-06-30 08:05:28 UTC ]
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Rummaging Around Short Story Collections With Xuan Juliana Wang

At the Rumpus, Xuan Juliana Wang discusses the art of the short story in a round table that includes Kimberly King Parsons, Dantiel W. Moniz, Mary South, and Ashley Wurzbacher. The panel shares their thoughts on crafting a collection, along with what draws them to short stories in the first... Continue reading at The Millions

[ The Millions | 2021-06-24 20:30:14 UTC ]
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Shortlist revealed for £30k Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award

The final six stories competing for the £30,000 Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award have been revealed, featuring British author Jonathan Gibbs and Scottish writer Rachael Fulton alongside four US writers. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-06-06 11:11:42 UTC ]
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Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award longlist revealed

American authors dominate the 2021 longlist for the Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award, the world’s richest short story prize with £30,000 for the winner. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-05-01 18:26:14 UTC ]
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Let’s talk about the best — and newest — science fiction and fantasy story collections

Writings by Brenda Peynado, Elizabeth Hand, Izumi Suzuki, Bruce Sterling and more. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-04-06 13:00:00 UTC ]
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10 of the Best Gothic Horror Short Stories to Read Online

Whether it’s vampires or werewolves or mysterious patterns in wallpaper, writers of Gothic short stories have used all sorts of horrors and frights to chill our blood, ever since the horror short story developed in the early nineteenth century. Below, we pick ten of the very best Gothic horror... Continue reading at Interesting Literature

[ Interesting Literature | 2021-03-18 15:00:00 UTC ]
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