Eleven Stories 2019 collects the shortlist from our second short fiction prize and is available for a limited period in pdf format as a response to the lockdown measures put in place by the Spanish government.

All sales will be shared between Desperate Literature and the authors.

->ONLY €2.20 or €3.50 for both the 2018 and 2019 editions AVAILABLE HERE<-

Only the best in contemporary experimental fiction...

Here's what the magnificent Eley Williams and Claire-Louise Bennett have to say about our selection:

'The 2019 entries revealed all the seething, the subtle and the searing possibilities of the short story -- it was a pleasure and privilege to celebrate them all' - Eley Williams

'The 2019 Desperate Literature Short Fiction Prize has once again produced a memorable collection of diverse, dynamic short stories. It was a joy to read' - Claire-Louise Bennett

‘The 2019 Desperate Literature Prize has produced an incredibly impressive shortlist of stories. It’s an exciting, powerful and original selection. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.’ - Holly Faulks, Literary Agent at Greene & Heaton

Eleven Stories 2018 collects the shortlist from our first short fiction prize and is available for a limited period in pdf format as a response to the lockdown measures put in place by the Spanish government.

All sales will be shared between Desperate Literature and the authors.

->ONLY €2.20 or €3.50 for both the 2018 and 2019 editions AVAILABLE HERE<-

PLEASE NOTE THAT FOR COPYRIGHT REASONS WE HAVE REMOVED JOANNA WALSH'S SHORTLISTED STORY FROM THE 2018 PDF.

Here's what the magnificent Eley Williams has to say about our selection:

‘This brilliant shortlist celebrates everything that I value in literature — its demands, its affirmations, its possibilities. Linguistically playful, narratively deft: each story demonstrated the ways in which writing’s verve can thrill in the vein and trill on the ear. It was incredibly difficult to find winners: all of the writers’ entries were assured in their teetering, fiery in their freshness and bold in their complexity and should be congratulated and thanked.’