The Desperate Literature Notebook
The Desperate Literature Notebook
€8.00
Our notebook is finally out
Oxblood red lines with a blindstamped cover
120 pages
22 Fictions:
An Anthology
No Category
A CHEERIO collaboration with two of Europe’s leading writing prizes — a collection of innovative short fiction from 22 of the most exciting writers currently working in the form.
“If 22 Fictions is an argument for the short form, it is winning. A book worth studying.”
— Isabel Waidner, Goldsmiths Prize winning author of Sterling Karat Gold and Corey Fah Does Social Mobility
A curated selection drawn from the first five years of two indie bookseller-run projects—Madrid’s Desperate Literature Short Fiction Prize and London’s Brick Lane Bookshop Short Story Prize—these 22 Fictions feature Purim celebrations, multiple Stuart Halls, a kidnapping, gender injustice, an aeroplane fleeing a volcano, gender injustice, a chicken shop menu, climate change, a shaved horse, activism, and much besides, all the while roaming from a Cornish farming village to a Paris basement, a hotel bar, an island with a steep hill, a location deep within the internet, a family dinner table and further.
Proudly internationalist and profoundly imaginative, the 22 stories in this vital anthology are wild, innovative, funny, sad, harrowing and tender. Together they celebrate the energy and diversity of short fiction writing today, pushing the boundaries of the form into new territory and bringing together a radical new generation of writers from across the globe.
Featuring work from:
Shola Von Reinhold, Leeor Ohayon, Tom Benn, Alice Haworth-Booth, N G F Clark, Danielle Giles, Francesca Reece, Melody Razak, Mariana Roa Oliva, Giovanna Iozzi, Suey Kweon, K. Lockwood Jefford, Katie Hale, Max Lury, Jay Gao, Aoife Inman, Andrea Mason, Aisha Phoenix, Isha Karki, Jack Houston, Siri Katinka Valdez, Rajasree Variyar.
Foreword by Joanna Walsh and an introduction by Wendy Erskine, former judges of the two prizes.
Edited by Kate Ellis and Robert Loyko-Greer, published by CHEERIO.
“Bold and emboldening — each story here engages with the form in new and rewarding ways.”
— Gurnaik Johal, author of We Move and Saraswati
“Partnering with two of the world’s most forward-thinking booksellers to publish the razor-edge of contemporary writing speaks exactly to the DIY spirit CHEERIO was founded on. A dream.”
– Darren Biabowe Barnes, Editorial Director of CHEERIO Publishing
€19.50
€19.50
Sold out
‘Another Valentine’
Entradas | Tickets
No Category El 18 de Febrero Entradas Limitadas | Limited Tickets - 25
€1 con billete para el sorteo | €1 with raffle ticket*
Invitamos a Martha Sprackland, Kwaku Osei-Afrifa, Joe Dunthorne y Rodrigo García Marina para una lectura de San Valentín extramundana | We invite Martha Sprackland, Kwaku Osei-Afrifa, Joe Dunthorne and Rodrigo García Marina for an other-worldly Valentine's reading
EVENT IN ENGLISH y ESPAÑOLmascarilla obligatoria | mask obligatory *THE RAFFLE: Win feedback on three poems or a single short story (English ONLY)
Saber más:
Joe Dunthorne was born and brought up in Swansea. His debut novel, Submarine, was translated into twenty languages and made into an award-winning film. His second novel, Wild Abandon, won the Society of Authors’ Encore Award. His latest is The Adulterants. His first collection of poems, O Positive, was published by Faber & Faber in 2019. He lives in London.
Rodrigo García Marina estudió el Conservatorio Profesional de Viola, el Grado en Medicina y en Filosofía. Acaba de realizar el Máster en Teoría y Crítica de la Cultura. Ha publicado La caricia de las amapolas, Premio de Poesía Saulo Torón 2017, Aureus, I Premio de Poesía Irreconciliables, Edad, I Premio de Poesía Tino Barriuso, El libro de los arquitectos, II Premio de Poesía de la Facultad de Filología de la UNED, y Desear la casa. Investiga, edita y enseña.
Kwaku Osei-Afrifa is a nonbinary writer and editor living in east London. A novella is coming out in June this year with Solaris, and they will start writing part two when the time is right.
Martha Sprackland is the founder of Offord Road Books and poetry editor for CHEERIO Publishing. Her debut collection, Citadel, was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best First Collection and the Costa Poetry Prize.
€1.00
El general en su laberinto
Gabriel García Márquez
FIRMADO
GIFTS, Literature, Rare items
Ediciones del Equilibrista, México
1989
FIRMADO / SIGNED
CONTACT US at hello@desperateliterature.com for more info or to book a visit!
€1,000.00
CONTACT US at hello@desperateliterature.com for more info or to book a visit!
€1,000.00
‘Eleven Stories 2023’
.pdf + print
GIFTS, Literary Prize Eleven Stories 2023 collects the shortlist from our sixth short fiction prize and is available in either:
PDF - €2.5 (which can be recouped against entry to the 2024 prize!) PRINT + PDF - €11 / a limited edition copy, numbered and stamped by our fine selves (OUT NOW) and the PDF to boot. **shipping is by Spanish postal service and doesn't carry tracking, which can be added for €15 on demand via email!
ABOUT THIS YEAR'S SHORTLIST:
‘There is such energy in these stories. Such pulse!’ - TIFFANY TSAO, 2023 Judge
‘I like this prize especially because it’s so international. The voices aren’t coming from a limited cultural perspective, not that there’s anything wrong with that, but there’s a breadth of wider experiences by the writers. They’re conveying something, and I think conveying something with urgency.’ - OTTESSA MOSHFEGH, 2023 Judge
ABOUT THIS YEAR'S WINNING STORY:
‘['Falling' is] a story I haven’t read before: a story of loss, focused not on grief but on how others make use of the depth and power of death [...] beautiful in its economy, not a word too long or short. Moving, and yet very quiet. Precise and relaxed.’ — OTTESSA MOSHFEGH, 2023 Judge
‘honest and sensual [...] carrying a slight but intense wickedness.’ — MARIANA ENRÍQUEZ, 2023 Judge
The stories were exquisitely written and completely delightful in their power to surprise and astonish in a remarkably few number of words. Reading these stories made me feel glad for the future of short stories and excited me for reading more. I hope other readers feel the same way - ANTON HUR
In these rich and vibrant stories, the language surprises and delights. From surreal mouse proposals to the catharsis of visible grief, via the uncertainty of memory and perception, each of these stories creates a new, engrossing reality, while shedding light on our own. - NATASHA BROWN
Here's what the magnificent Rachel Cusk and Niven Govinden have to say about our 2020 selection:
‘I thoroughly enjoyed reading these submissions, which surprised me with their honest poise, their integrity, and their understated adherence to the values of literature. In the hands of some of these writers, the story form was brought to bear on the modern scene in new and astute ways.’ – Rachel Cusk ‘I was bowled over by the power, inquiry, and humour of these stories. They shine brightly in the mind after reading.’ – Niven GovindenPLEASE NOTE: for orders over 5 copies, please contact us at hello@desperateliterature.com
€2.50 – €11.00