Absence and disappearance provide recurring themes in these 10 stories assembled from the BBC International Short Story Award competition: the abandonment of family members, estranged wives and errant husbands, the loss of a childhood friend and computer games mentor, and the convenient vanishing of whatever we deem disposable. Written by English-speaking writers from around the world—including Australia, the Balkans, Ireland, North America, and South Africa—this compilation shows the extraordinary diversity and richness of the short story as a truly global form while also honoring the 2012 London Olympics. Contributors include the winner of the BBC International Short Story Award, Miroslav Penkov; runner-up Henrietta Rose-Innes; and Adam Ross, Carrie Tiffany, Chris Womersley, Deborah Levy, Julian Gough, Krys Lee, Lucy Caldwell, and M. J. Hyland.
“When you've been reading M. J. Hyland, other writers seem to lack integrity.” —Hilary Mantel, winner of theMan Booker Prize, on M. J. Hyland.
“Levy’s work represents an impressive stylistic achievement, tapping, I believe, at the door of that unrepressedly ‘feminine’ prose-style, which Virginia Woolf anticipated and coveted. —Timeson Deborah Levy
The most riveting look at the dark side of marriage sinceWho's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? —Stephen King on Adam Ross'sMr. Peanut
Miroslav Penkovis a fiction editor forAmerican Literary Review,an assistant professor of creative writing at the University of North Texas, and the author of the short story collectionEast of the West. He lives in Denton, Texas.Henrietta Rose-Innesis an author whose awards includlĂ"
![The BBC International Short Story Award 2012 [Paperback]](/itemImage/2/3/9/1/2_6891992.jpg "The BBC International Short Story Award 2012 [Paperback]")