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The BBC National Short Story Award 2017
There is in the short story, at its most characteristic, something we do not often find in the novel, Frank O’Connor wrote, "an intense awareness of human loneliness."
The stories shortlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award with BookTrust 2017 all feature characters that are disconnected, willingly or unwillingly, from those around a mysterious out-of-towner is shunned by her new colleagues; a grieving husband retreats into his old compulsion for hoarding; a promising academic risks his career for a casual liaison with a younger man. And whether we follow the characters’ need to be alone – like the fisherman drifting dangerously far from shore – or trace it back to its root – like the daughter burying her violent father – what we find there is always unexpected.
This year’s shortlist was selected by authors Eimear McBride, Jon McGregor and Sunjeev Sahota, as well as BBC Radio’s Di Speirs and acclaimed novelist Joanna Trollope who chaired the panel and introduces the collection.
The stories shortlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award with BookTrust 2017 all feature characters that are disconnected, willingly or unwillingly, from those around a mysterious out-of-towner is shunned by her new colleagues; a grieving husband retreats into his old compulsion for hoarding; a promising academic risks his career for a casual liaison with a younger man. And whether we follow the characters’ need to be alone – like the fisherman drifting dangerously far from shore – or trace it back to its root – like the daughter burying her violent father – what we find there is always unexpected.
This year’s shortlist was selected by authors Eimear McBride, Jon McGregor and Sunjeev Sahota, as well as BBC Radio’s Di Speirs and acclaimed novelist Joanna Trollope who chaired the panel and introduces the collection.
- GenresShort Stories
132 pages, Paperback
First published September 18, 2017
About the author
Jenni Fagan
31 books596 followersJenni Fagan has published four fiction novels, one non-fiction memoir, seven books of poetry and had scripts produced for stage and screen. She has three degrees, concluding as Dr. Of Philosophy, specialising in structuralism.
Jenni is an award winning, critically acclaimed poet and novelist. She is published in eight languages. A Granta Best of Young British Novelist (once-in-a-decade-accolade), Scottish Novelist of the Year (2016), Pushchart nominated, on lists for BBC International Short Story Prize, Impac Dublin, The Sunday Times Short Story Award, Encore, among others. The New York Times called her The Patron Saint of Literary Street Urchins.
Fagan is also an artist who exhibits canvas and sculptures, her bone artworks are on permanent display at Summerhall, where she kintsugi’d the building with poems in gold.
Jenni has written articles for the Independent, NY Times, Marie Claire. She has held Writer in Residence positions at the University of Edinburgh, Robert Louise Stevenson Fellowship and Gavin Wallace.
She has worked extensively with women in prison, and those from deprived backgrounds.
She is currently adapting The Blade Artist by Irvine Welsh for tv, also The Panopticon, Luckenbooth and Hex.
Jenni is an award winning, critically acclaimed poet and novelist. She is published in eight languages. A Granta Best of Young British Novelist (once-in-a-decade-accolade), Scottish Novelist of the Year (2016), Pushchart nominated, on lists for BBC International Short Story Prize, Impac Dublin, The Sunday Times Short Story Award, Encore, among others. The New York Times called her The Patron Saint of Literary Street Urchins.
Fagan is also an artist who exhibits canvas and sculptures, her bone artworks are on permanent display at Summerhall, where she kintsugi’d the building with poems in gold.
Jenni has written articles for the Independent, NY Times, Marie Claire. She has held Writer in Residence positions at the University of Edinburgh, Robert Louise Stevenson Fellowship and Gavin Wallace.
She has worked extensively with women in prison, and those from deprived backgrounds.
She is currently adapting The Blade Artist by Irvine Welsh for tv, also The Panopticon, Luckenbooth and Hex.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 6, 2018
I enjoyed this collection of shortlisted stories. My favourite stories were:
'The Edge of the Shoal,' by Cynan Jones - a tense account of a fisherman who strays too far from the shore in his kayak and then a storm hits. A well written story of man versus sea.
'If A Book Is Locked,' by Helen Oyeyemi was an intriguing tale of a mysterious diary and hostility in the workplace amongst women.
'The Collector,' by Ben Markovits was an interesting character study of a hoarder.
'The Waken,' by Jenni Fagan was enjoyable for its magical realist element and combination of tradition and folklore that weaved throughout.
Overall, this was a pretty strong collection.
'The Edge of the Shoal,' by Cynan Jones - a tense account of a fisherman who strays too far from the shore in his kayak and then a storm hits. A well written story of man versus sea.
'If A Book Is Locked,' by Helen Oyeyemi was an intriguing tale of a mysterious diary and hostility in the workplace amongst women.
'The Collector,' by Ben Markovits was an interesting character study of a hoarder.
'The Waken,' by Jenni Fagan was enjoyable for its magical realist element and combination of tradition and folklore that weaved throughout.
Overall, this was a pretty strong collection.
January 5, 2023
A good mixture of styles and subject areas. All stories quick to draw you in and keep your attention. Not sure if I just haven't got the spare brain capacity at they moment but I struggled to 'get' some of them. At the end of one or two I was left thinking 'WTF?'. 🤷🤷🤷
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 6, 2017
My Q&A with the winner!
http://annegoodwin.weebly.com/annecdo...
http://annegoodwin.weebly.com/annecdo...
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews