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‘Eleven Stories 2025’
Eleven Stories, Literary Prize, Literature
.pdf + print edition (pre-order)€2.50 – €11.00'Generous, soulful distillations. A tasting flight of prosaic kerosene. Each story ignited a flare in a forsaken corner of my mind. I can’t wait to experience more from these voices.' —Henry Hoke
‘Wonderful: some very subtle, intimate and beautiful, others wildly imaginative and deeply thoughtful.’ —Ottessa Moshfegh
Eleven Stories 2025 collects the shortlist from our eighth short fiction prize and is available in either:- PDF - €2.5
- PRINT + PDF - €11 / a limited edition copy and the PDF to boot. (PRINT EDITION DUE EARLY OCTOBER) **shipping is by Spanish postal service and doesn't carry tracking, which can be added for €15 on demand via email!
One of our most exciting selections yet, our 2025 shortlist covers a spectrum of experimental and boundary pushing fiction. From a Faulknerian river story to the lushest, queerest body horror — from cross-country feminist malaise to cross-border love — prophets, mothers, labourers — a tedious apocalypse, post-capitalist hope — these eleven stories are brimming with magic, longing, and humour. Including work by:
Shastri Akella (WINNER), Swithun Cooper (RUNNER-UP), Alisha Dietzman (RUNNER-UP), Chloe Agar, Sohini Basak, Shelley Hastings (EU SALON PRIZE), Miguel Arroyo, Matthew Kinlin, Iseult de Mallet Burgess, Fox McGlasson, and Juan Fernando Villagómez (DL RESIDENCY PRIZE) ABOUT THIS YEAR'S WINNING STORY: ‘Tender... and haunting’ —Ottessa Moshfegh PLEASE NOTE: for orders over 5 copies, please contact us at hello@desperateliterature.com€2.50 – €11.00 -
22 Fictions:
No Category
An AnthologyA 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 -
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Lament for the Death of a Bullsighter and other poems
GIFTS, Literature, Rare items
Federico García LorcaLondon and Toronto William Heinemann Ltd. English translation of Lament for Ignacio Sánchez Mejías 1938 Early printing "In his Lament for Ignacio Sánchez Mejías, Lorca expresses all the colour, pride and deep sorrow Spain. No other Spanish poet has drawn so heavily upon popular inspiration to such splendid ends." CONTACT US at hello@desperateliterature.com for more info or to book a visit!€70.00€70.00 -
Casualties of Peace
GIFTS, Literature, Rare items
Edna O’BRIEN
dedicated to Geraldine ChaplinJonathan Cape, London, 1966 This particular copy is signed to Geraldine Chaplin, daughter of Charlie Chaplin, who for many years lived in Madrid! We acquired a good part of her Madrid collection last year and this is one of the treats. Acquired before Edna O'Brien's passing, we removed the post-it note with her telephone number!€225.00
CONTACT US at hello@desperateliterature.com for more info or to book a visit! €225.00 -
El general en su laberinto
GIFTS, Literature, Rare items
Gabriel García Márquez
FIRMADOEdiciones del Equilibrista, México 1989 FIRMADO / SIGNED€1,000.00
CONTACT US at hello@desperateliterature.com for more info or to book a visit! €1,000.00 -
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Journal du Voleur
GIFTS, Literature, Rare items
Jean GENET
SIGNEDThe terribly hard to find first edition of Journal du Voleur, here no. 377 of 400, signed by Genet upon the request of Jean-Paul Sartre in his petition to free Genet from jail!€850.00
CONTACT US at hello@desperateliterature.com for more info or to book a visit! €850.00 -
Jeux pour acteurs et non-acteurs
GIFTS, Literature, Rare items
Augusto Boal
SIGNEDEditions La Découverte, 1978 SIGNED. Rare indeed to find a signed Boal! Here his Jeux pour acteurs et non-acteurs - Pratique du théâtre de l'opprimé suivi de l'expérience en France, including exercises, games and techniques for actors!€250.00
CONTACT US at hello@desperateliterature.com for more info or to book a visit! €250.00 -
Alejandro Zambra (SIGNED)
GIFTS, Hotcakes, Literature€20.00To help raise funds for our imminent move, this month we're selling our signed Alejandro Zambra translations. There's the added bonus of the copies also being signed by Zambra's translator, Megan McDowell!
There's a limited amount, so get them while you can!
...and of course we'll throw in some merch for good measure... ALL EDITIONS IN ENGLISH
€20.00 -
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Bookland Passport
Literature, Rare itemsThe Bookland Passport Issued by Typewronger books in Edinburgh, this is your passport to, from, in and out of indie bookshops around the world! Get it stamped, signed, or whatever you like, wherever you find an independent bookshop! Riso printed and beautifully illustrated€12.00
All about Bookland:
Bookland is a country you reach through reading, through talking about books with your friends, and through hanging out in your local bookshop. Though we issue passports for Bookland, the territory it encompasses spans the entire known world, plus quite a few as yet unexplored dimensions, and also exists across the totality of the Temporal Realm. Bookland's National Motto is LIBRI SINE TERMINO, which can translate two ways, either as "Books Without Borders" or "Books Without End". All indie bookshops are unofficial Embassies of Bookland, and any can become an Official Embassy simply by issuing passports which can be supplied by emailing the mysterious Secretary to the Grand High Ambassador of Bookland. Citizens of Bookland don't need documentation to prove their status... but it sure is fun! €12.00 -
‘Eleven Stories 2024’
Eleven Stories, Literary Prize
.pdf + print edition€2.50 – €11.00Eleven Stories 2024 collects the shortlist from our seventh short fiction prize and is available in either:
- PDF - €2.5 (which can be recouped against entry to the 2025 prize!)
- PRINT + PDF - €11 / a limited edition copy 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!
We're proud to present what is one of our most marvellous collections to date, including musings on menial labour under capitalism, longing, displacement, dementia, end-of-the-world hedonism, the joys of hope, and so much more.
Including work by: Sukie Wilson (WINNER), Amanda Hildebrandt (RUNNER-UP), Richie Jones (RUNNER-UP), JL Bogenschneider, Lizzie Challen Hubbard, Heather Colley, D.P. Strickland, Shane Tivenan, Aled Turner, Preeti Vangani, and Richard Westley
ABOUT THIS YEAR'S WINNING STORY:
'From the first paragraph, ‘Leaving Night Country’ catches us with its incredible narrative voice. Wilson has a keen sense of music and rhythm. We are left with a sense of wonder.' — MEGAN MCDOWELL, 2024 Judge
PLEASE NOTE: for orders over 5 copies, please contact us at hello@desperateliterature.com
€2.50 – €11.00 -
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LISA HANNIGAN
No Category
in Concert
June 15th
(opening act – Davy Lyons)€20.00June 15th 20h in Desperate Literature
SOLD OUT
TICKETS:
€20 - Concert + 10% discount on books + drink courtesy of Jameson Whiskey
We invite the magnificent Lisa Hannigan to play an intimate concert in Desperate Literature, with opening act Davy Lyons. Lisa Hannigan is an Irish singer and songwriter who has internationally released three studio albums on her own label one of which was nominated for UK Mercury Music prize. Over the course of her extensive career to date Lisa has appeared at festivals all over the world, and live TV appearances such as the Tonight show with Jay Leno, The Late Late show with James Corden, and The Colbert Report with Stephen Colbert, and Later with Jools Holland. Lisa has featuring tracks in TV series’ ‘Fargo’ and ‘Legion’, Lisa also sings on the Oscar winning soundtrack to ‘Gravity’. In the past few years she found her acting voice, playing Blue Diamond in Cartoon Network’s ‘Steven Universe’ and Bronagh in Cartoon Saloon’s Oscar-nominated film ‘Song of the Sea’. Outside of her own album and soundtrack releases, Lisa has contributed vocals to The National albums ‘I Am Easy to Find’ and ‘Sleep Well Beast’ and also sang on Big Red Machine’s eponymous first album.
Davy Lyons is an Irish songwriter, musician, poet, and actor. Family gatherings in his childhood, where music was always vital, are the root of his creative endeavours.
In 2016, he moved to Barcelona where he began playing on the street. His live shows developed a reputation as intense, binding, and unique experiences for the audience, an intimate journey where words and melodies come together, where silences are allowed to reverberate. Sound poems written with the fountain pen of Lyons’ soul with brushstrokes of folk, jazz, and gypsy added by his band. He has released two albums, Evidence (Delirics, 2019), and The Human Factor (King Forward Records, 2023). His third one, a live album recorded in front of an audience in Underpool Studios, will be released on September 6. He played the lead role in Catalan feature length film, Solo Arrojaron, which is currently having festival screenings.
https://www.instagram.com/davylyons/
Purchase receipt functions as your ticket!
SPONSORED BY:
€20.00 -
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The Naked Lunch
Literature, Rare items
William Burrough
SIGNEDThe Olympia Press, 1959 First edition, SIGNED. This carries a stamped 18NF over the original 1500F price. France adopted the nouveau franc in 1963, so we can assume that this edition didn't sell until after this point!€2,750.00
CONTACT US at hello@desperateliterature.com for more info or to book a visit! €2,750.00 -
Sold out
Ariel
Literature, Rare items
Sylvia Plath
First EditionFirst edition, First Impression Faber and Faber, 1965 An ex-library edition, But with perhaps the brightest dust jacket we've ever handled A lovely edition fit for anybody's shelf! CONTACT US at hello@desperateliterature.com for more info or to book a visit!€325.00€325.00 -
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Fulgor y muerte de Joaquín Murieta
Literature, Rare items
Pablo Neruda
SIGNEDFirst edition of Fulgor y muerte de Joaquín Murieta, Santiago de Chile, 1967, signed by Pablo Neruda. This copy has travelled a little, though not quite as far and as poorly as Joaquín Murieta, and so shows some soiling and with a slightly faded signature, but is a nice example of this title with Neruda's typical cursive! COMES WITH A FIRST PRESSING VINYL of Fulgor y muerte de Joaquín Murieta recorded by Sergio Ortega Here it here.€1,200.00
CONTACT US at hello@desperateliterature.com for more info or to book a visit! €1,200.00 -
Pequeña Antologia
Literature, Rare items
Gabriela Mistral
SIGNEDLovely copy of this signed First Edition of Gabriela Mistral's unpublished poems. Inscribed by the author on the front free page to the Chilean poet Milo Navarro. Comes with a black and white photo from a Lunch at Escuela de Artes Graficas in Santiago de Chile. Picture at the center is Gabriela Mistral. Four from right is the Chilean poet Milo Navarro. Pages are clean with no marks or inscriptions. The Chilean poet, educator, diplomat, and feminist was the First Latin American (and, so far, the only Latin American woman) to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1945. These Anthology of unpublished poems exemplify Mitral's interest in awakening in her contemporaries love for the essences of their American identity.€1,750.00
CONTACT US at hello@desperateliterature.com for more info or to book a visit! €1,750.00 -
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Madrid will be their Tomb:
Literature
the English language launch€0.00FREE ENTRY 1st December 20h00 Limited Tickets - 30
We're thrilled to host the Madrid launch of 'Madrid will be their Tomb', the English language translation of Elizabeth Duval's first novel! ‘Modest and powerfully beautiful, this is writing which illuminates human mystery and lifts the reader into the air, leaving them on an edge where their convictions tremble and shake.’ —JUAN MANUEL DE PRADA. ABC. About the book: Two occupied buildings: one the former headquarters of the NO-DO (a Francoist propaganda outlet) that has been taken over by a small group of fascists, the other the ruins of some abandoned film studios that have been converted into the barracks of a Marxist-Leninist cell. Drifting between these two spaces are Santiago and Ramiro; two characters who, although finding solace in two polarised political groups, cross paths and change each other’s lives. Discursive and devastating, Duval’s first novel is imbued with the same traits as the era she portrays. A sad, passionate, and all too real portrait of an ever more divided world, Duval’s story, in her powerful, shocking, yet considered prose, reminds us of the uncomfortable, but somewhat comforting similarities we may find with the “enemy”. About the author: Elizabeth Duval is an author and the spokesperson for Feminism, Equality and LGTBI+ rights for Sumar. In 2020 she published Reina, the first memoir in Spain by a woman from GenZ, as well as Exception, a verse poem. In 2021 she published the essay Después de lo trans and the novel Madrid será la tumba. In 2023 she published Melancolía, a sociopolitical essay on how to recover hope when facing a grim future. She is also a regular contributor for national media outlets like eldiario.es, Público, El País, and La Sexta. About the translator: Alice Banks is a translator from Spanish and French based in Madrid. In December 2022, Alice’s translation, Deranged As I Am, by Ali Zamir, was published by Fum d’Estampa Press. When she is not translating, Alice also works as a publisher at Fum d’Estampa Press and an Editorial Assistant for The European Literature Network, where she writes the monthly column, ‘La Española’. ‘A marvellous novel.’ —NADAL SUAU, EL ESPAÑOL.€0.00 -
Eleven Stories 2021 – 2023
Literary PrizeThe Desperate Literature Prize for Short Fiction is an international award for innovative new writing. The last three years of Eleven Stories contain some of the best contemporary short fiction. 2023 prize judged by: Mariana Enríquez, Ottessa Moshfegh, & Tiffany Tsao. Works by: Campbell Andersen, Jan Carson, N G F Clark, Paige Cowan-Hall, Phillippa Finkemeyer, Hadley Franklin, Jack Gain, Jay Gao, Samuel Glyn, Katie Hale, Annie Hayter, Grace Henes, Mia-Francesca Jones, Isha Karki, Stephen Lynch, Victoria Manifold, Evan Martinak, Andrea Mason, Ananya Mishra, Dipika Mukherjee, Nick Mulgrew, Connor Oswald, Nicholas Petty, Young Rader, Mariana Roa Oliva, David Ryan, Erin Scudder, Avigayl Sharp, Dizz Tate, Siri Katinka Valdez, Gavin Weale, Naomi Wood, Jona Xhepa.€25.00€25 for the 2021, 2022, & 2023 anthologies Books will be shipped once the 2023 anthology is delivered in November 2023
ABOUT THE 2023 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 THE 2023 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
ABOUT THE 2022 SHORTLIST:
'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
ABOUT THE 2021 SHORTLIST:
‘I loved reading the shortlist selection which realizes the Desperate Literature team’s ambition to reimagine and diversify contemporary writing. The stories represented are inquisitive, irreverential, critical, and fully committed to their respective creative projects. I’ve never been more hopeful for the future of fiction, and the Desperate Literature Prize plays no small part in this.’ — Isabel Waidner, 2021 Judge
€25.00 -
‘Eleven Stories 2023’
GIFTS, Literary Prize
.pdf + print€2.50 – €11.00Eleven 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 -
Sold out
‘Alejandro Zambra & Megan McDowell’
Events
Entradas | €3€3.00El 4 de June Entradas Limitadas | Limited Tickets - 40
Precio: 3€ - reembolsado con cualquier libro de Zambra (+ tote incluida, por supuesto) €3 - reimbursed with any Zambra book (+ free tote, of course)*EVENT IN ENGLISH y ESPAÑOL
We invite Alejandro Zambra and his translator Megan McDowell to sign at our Feria booth before a bilingual reading at Desperate Literature! Invitamos a Alejandro Zambra y a su traductora Megan McDowell a firmar en nuestra caseta de la Feria antes de una lectura bilingüe en Desperate Literature.€3.00 -
The DL BOX set
GIFTSThe perfect gift for bibliophiles, the travelling lover, the Madrid-based progeny, or just your future self.
You'll get a copy of Eleven Stories 2023, our notebook and a tote. We can either prepare in store or send for you and if you want to add a gift certificate, you can! Free shipping for all orders that include a gift certificate!
“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.”
Jorge Luis Borges
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‘Eleven Stories 2022’
Literary Prize€2.50 – €11.00Eleven Stories 2022 collects the shortlist from our fourth short fiction prize and is available in either:
PDF - €2.50 PRINT - €11 / a limited edition copy, numbered and stamped by our fine selves
The shortlisted 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 Govinden€2.50 – €11.00 -
The Desperate Literature Notebook
GIFTS, No CategoryOur notebook is finally out Oxblood red lines with a blindstamped cover 120 pages€8.00
€8.00 -
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‘Another Valentine’
No Category
Entradas | Tickets€1.00El 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 -
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‘SPANISH BEAUTY’
No Category
Entradas€0.00 – €24.55El 23 de Febrero Entradas Limitadas - 20*
Gratuita | con un descuento de 5% en compras anticipadas
Invitamos a Esther García Llovet a presentar su nueva obra, Spanish Beauty (Anagrama), en conversación con Lucía Lijtmaer, autora de Ofendiditos (Anagrama).
*mascarilla obligatoria Saber más sobre Spanish Beauty: «Su estilo es de cuchilla de afeitar» (Laura Fernández) «Excelente narradora... Brillante» (Alberto Olmos) «Nos gusta mucho García Llovet, y nos gusta su estilo, su poética... Autora de culto» (Sara Mesa) «Una exquisita rara avis... Esta autora cuestiona cada código, cada imagen, cada palabra... Estupenda» (Marta Sanz) Si en sus novelas de la Trilogía instantánea de Madrid (Cómo dejar de escribir, Sánchez y Gordo de feria) Esther García Llovet construyó una ciudad nocturna, marginal y casi surreal, en esta Spanish Beauty, la primera entrega de la Trilogía de los países del Este, nos ofrece un Benidorm plagado de mafiosos ingleses, rusos millonarios, billares cutres de sótano y rascacielos a medio construir: una ciudad en la que manda Michela, la policía corrupta que necesita a toda costa recuperar un mechero que perteneció a los legendarios Kray Twins del Londres de los sesenta.€0.00 – €24.55 -
‘Eleven Stories 2021’
Literary Prize€2.50 – €11.00Eleven Stories 2021 collects the shortlist from our fourth short fiction prize and is available in either:
PDF - €2.50 PRINT - €11 / a limited edition copy, numbered and stamped by our fine selves // OUT NOW
‘I loved reading the shortlist selection which realizes the Desperate Literature team’s ambition to reimagine and diversify contemporary writing. The stories represented are inquisitive, irreverential, critical, and fully committed to their respective creative projects. I’ve never been more hopeful for the future of fiction, and the Desperate Literature Prize plays no small part in this.’ — Isabel Waidner, 2021 Judge
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 Govinden€2.50 – €11.00 -
Sold out
Minor Detail
Book-of-the-Month
by Adania Shibli
Book of the Month
JUNE 2021BOOK-OF-THE-MONTH selection JUNE 2021: For our June selection, we have picked Minor Detail, and will be donating €2 from each sale to the Go Fund Me page helping to rebuild the Samir Mansour Book Store in Gaza, destroyed in recent airstrikes. -- ‘Though Minor Detail initially promises to be a kind of counterhistory or whodunit—a rescue of the victim’s story from military courts and Israeli newspapers–it turns out to be something stranger and bleaker. Rather than a discovery of hidden truths, or a search for justice, it is a meditation on the repetitions of history, the past as a recurring trauma ... For Shibli, the emblematic experience of occupation is the longue duree of ennui and isolation rather than a dramatic moment of crisis.’ — New York Review of Books Minor Detail begins during the summer of 1949, one year after the war that the Palestinians mourn as the Nakba – the catastrophe that led to the displacement and expulsion of more than 700,000 people – and the Israelis celebrate as the War of Independence. Israeli soldiers capture and rape a young Palestinian woman, and kill and bury her in the sand. Many years later, a woman in Ramallah becomes fascinated to the point of obsession with this ‘minor detail’ of history. A haunting meditation on war, violence and memory, Minor Detail cuts to the heart of the Palestinian experience of dispossession, life under occupation, and the persistent difficulty of piecing together a narrative in the face of ongoing erasure and disempowerment. Times Books of the Year 2020€15.90€15.90 -
The President Shop
LiteratureIn The President Shop, there is no telling what the future really holds in store as the beliefs of the past slowly start to crumble. “The President Shop is a marvelous, timeless book that sweeps between the personal and the panoramic as it asks, Does every family, or country, contain an axis, around which the rest of it spins? Can you hear the voice of a stone? How clearly can anyone see the past or future? For which tyrannies have we been unwittingly waving flags?” —Catherine Lacey, author of Pew and Certain American States The President, the founder of the Nation, is an old man now, but his young and unifying spirit stands steadfastly at the heart of, Vesna Maric’s debut novel. Images of and tributes to the President are found in all homes in the Nation, procured from stores like the one Ruben and Rosa run. The couple met as partisans, fighting to forge the Nation in the crucible of conflict. But even though their pride shines as brightly as the gilded bust of the President, the younger generation has questioned whether the Nation really has its citizens best interests in mind. Ruben’s brother is actively working to avoid mandatory military service as he pines away for another man, and Ruben and Rosa’s daughter Mona is too busy adjusting to womanhood to get caught up in state-mandated nostalgia. To further exacerbate the family tension, an elderly uncle claims to have invented a machine to see into the future, which he stores in the basement of the family’s apartment building. But there is no telling what the future really holds in store as the beliefs of the past slowly start to crumble.€18.00€18.00 -
Second Place
Book-of-the-Month
by Rachel Cusk
Book of the Month
MAY 2021BOOK-OF-THE-MONTH selection MAY 2021: A haunting fable of art, family, and fate from the author of the Outline trilogy. A woman invites a famous artist to use her guesthouse in the remote coastal landscape where she lives with her family. Powerfully drawn to his paintings, she believes his vision might penetrate the mystery at the center of her life. But as a long, dry summer sets in, his provocative presence itself becomes an enigma—and disrupts the calm of her secluded household. Second Place, Rachel Cusk’s electrifying new novel, is a study of female fate and male privilege, the geometries of human relationships, and the moral questions that animate our lives. It reminds us of art’s capacity to uplift—and to destroy.€16.00“Her genius is that in deliberately blurring a boundary of her own – that between a writer and her subject, between the expectation of autobiography so often attached to writing by women, and the carapace of pure invention so often unthinkably afforded to men – she tricks us into believing that her preoccupations and failings, her privileges and apparent assumptions, are not our own. By the time we realize what has happened, it is too late: our own surface has been disturbed, our own complacent compartment dismantled. It is a shock, but as the narrator of Second Place reminds us, 'shock is sometimes necessary, for without it we would drift into entropy.' Cusk is necessary too – deeply so, and Second Place, exquisite in the cruelty of its rightness, reminds us why.”—Sam Byers, The Guardian€16.00 -
Diary of a Film
Book-of-the-Month
by Niven Govinden
Book of the Month
APRIL 2021BOOK-OF-THE-MONTH selection April 2021: A book fizzling with energy, the vibrancy of potencial and artistic discovery, with the joys and pains of creation, the melancholy of longing, of having given oneself fully, of love. It’s a book we all need right now. It gives me hope every time I open it.€19.50"Precision engineered European modernism from a master stylist. It walks us into a luminous and loving conversational drama, rich with complex erotics and interwoven private agonies. He writes exquisitely about art making, about obsession and responsibility. It's a gorgeous novel."SYNOPSIS:An auteur, together with his lead actors, is at a prestigious European festival to premiere his latest film. Alone one morning at a backstreet café, he strikes up a conversation with a local woman who takes him on a walk to uncover the city’s secrets, historic and personal. As the walk unwinds, a story of love and tragedy emerges, and he begins to see the chance meeting as fate. He is entranced, wholly clear in his mind: her story must surely form the basis for his next film. This is a novel about cinema, flâneurs, and queer love – it is about the sometimes troubled, sometimes ecstatic creative process, and the toll it takes on its makers. But it is also a novel about stories, and the ongoing question of who has the right to tell them.€19.50 -
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⚡️The Harry Potter Quiz⚡️
Events€10.00"IT'S BACK" - Cornelius Fudge Fri Jan 12th | 20h
HOW IT WORKS:
- Choose your house and play for the glorious house cup: there'll be giggle water, there'll be questions harder than Hagrid's rock cakes and there'll be fire whisky to boot.* - Drinks and wizard snackery included. *2 HOUSE POINTS for every person in fancy dress (proper fancy dress, mind!)
HOW MUCH IT COSTS:
€10/person (including your beverages, of course)...
THE PRIZES:
The Hermione Granger Prize:
The top student will receive a €25 credit voucher to Desperate Literature
1st place:
A bottle of fire whiskey + some HP swag for the team*
*As many Harry Potter goodies as we can get together! Think: stickers, posters flyers, and maybe even Tote Bags
2nd Place:
We'll give you a reduced goody bag, including some stickers and posters!
🏳️⚧️ 20% of all ticket sales are donated to COGAM in support of LGBTQI+ rights in Madrid 🏳️⚧️
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Juana y La Cibernética (edición bilingüe)
No Category€2.00THE FIRST ENGLISH LANGUAGE TRANSLATION OF A CHILEAN MASTERPIECE
Juana y la cibernetica is a proto-cyberfeminist, proleterian, machine-loving work of solitary confinement by Elena Aldunate, "La Dama Chilena de la ciencia-ficción".BILINGUAL EDITION EDICIÓN BILINGÜE
The edition comes with parallel bilingual texts and a fiction response by author Jo Lindsay Walton.
María Elena Aldunate Bezanilla (1925-2005) was born in Santiago, Chile, and wrote under the name of Elena Aldunate. She became associated with the science fiction scene in Chile in the 1960s and 1970s, publishing a number of short fiction works and anthologies. These include Juana y la cibernética (1963), El señor de las mariposas (1967), Angélica y el delfín (1976) and Del cosmos las quieren vírgenes (1977).Jo Lindsay Walton is a writer, editor and Research Fellow in Critical and Cultural Theory in the Sussex Humanities Lab. He is interested in the intersection of culture, technology, and economics. With Polina Levontin, he co-edits Vector, the critical journal of the British Science Fiction Association, and with Samantha Walton, he runs the poetry press Sad Press. @jolwalton
Our print edition will be a limited edition riso production made by Do The Print, Barcelona Translation by Ana Baeza Ruiz and Elizabeth Stainforth Cover design by Terry Craven 44 pages €8 - limited edition riso print version (OUT OF PRINT) €2 - .pdf edition€2.00 -
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‘Eleven Stories 2020’
Literary PrizeEleven Stories 2020 collects the shortlist from our third short fiction prize and is available in either:
PDF - €2.50 PRINT - €10 / a limited edition risography edition, numbered and stamped by our fine selves.
DON'T FORGET: you get €2.50 off a prize entry with your purchase!
Here's what the magnificent Rachel Cusk and Niven Govinden have to say about our 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 Govinden
44 pages Risoprinted at Dotheprint, Barcelona -
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The Raffle / Sorteo
Literature€2.00???? SORTEO de VERANO ???? ???? THE SUMMER RAFFLE ????
NOW CLOSED MARIANA ENRIQUEZ FIRMADO /SIGNED
En nuestro sorteo de verano podrás ganar una copia firmada de Nuestra parte de la noche una libreta de DESPERATE LITERATURE y un totebag de tela para llevarlos contigo!
€2/billete Fecha limite: 1 de septiembre Envío Internacional por correos incluido*
"La herencia, el deseo de pervivir, la paternidad, el horror, lo íntimo y lo político. Una novela libre y osada, hechizante y genial."
For our summer raffle you can win a signed copy of Nuestra parte de la noche a DESPERATE LITERATURE notebook and a totebag to carry it all about!
€2/ticket End date: September 1st Worldwide shipping by post included*
*shipping is uninsured and untracked (though you can pay for tracking!) available wherever the Spanish correos can ship! THE WINNER Elena Espada
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In Full Velvet
LiteratureSinuous and sensual, the poems of In Full Velvet interrogate the nuances of desire, love, gender, ecology, LGBTQ lineage and community, and the tension between a body’s material limits and the forms made possible by the imagination.€17.00"Maybe a voice from the ancients whispers to Jenny Johnson—Sappho or the Muse Euterpe—how to sing of love and death and joy and reality in as many registers as they come in life. Or maybe Johnson is just a genius." — Brenda Shaughnessy
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The Septuple Whammy: Eleven Stories 2018 – 2024
Eleven Stories, Literary Prize
(the .pdfs)€9.50Get the bundle of all seven current editions of Eleven Stories in .pdf format, bringing together the shortlist from our seven previous short fiction prizes.
Don't forget, you get €2.50 reimbursed if you enter the prize, just use the promotional code in the receipt!Only the best in contemporary experimental fiction...
ABOUT THE COLLECTIONS:
‘There is such energy in these stories. Such pulse!’ —Tiffany Tsao, 2023 Judge
‘Reading these stories made me feel glad for the future of short stories.’ —Anton Hur, 2022 Judge
‘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, 2022 Judge
I loved reading the shortlist selection which realizes the Desperate Literature team’s ambition to reimagine and diversify contemporary writing. The stories represented are inquisitive, irreverential, critical, and fully committed to their respective creative projects. I’ve never been more hopeful for the future of fiction, and the Desperate Literature Prize plays no small part in this.’ —Waidner, 2021 Judge
‘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, 2020 Judge
'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, 2019 Judge
‘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
*PLEASE NOTE THAT FOR COPYRIGHT REASONS WE HAVE REMOVED JOANNA WALSH'S SHORTLISTED STORY FROM THE 2018 PDF.YOUR DOWNLOAD WILL BE AVAILABLE IN THE RECEIPT PAGE AFTER PURCHASE
€9.50 -
‘Eleven Stories 2019’ PDF download
Literary Prize€2.50Eleven 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<-
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
€2.50 -
‘Eleven Stories 2018’ PDF download
Literary Prize€2.50Eleven 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.’
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The Unamuno Author Series Festival Anthology
LiteratureIn 2019, over eighty poets and academics came to Madrid to form the city’s first anglophone literary festival.
Containing works from local performance poets and pulitzer prize winners alike, this bilingual collection represents a body of work capturing a glimpse of the itinerant anglophone poetry community that has passed through Madrid in recent years.
‘An unprecedented organization of writers from around the world ... I hope many more poets, writers, and readers get to benefit from this truly exceptional point of exchange.’ —Gregory Pardlo
‘..an international reading series which is inclusive, eccentric, very inspiring, which has been instigated by somebody who not only loves and understands poetry, but loves and understands people. That’s a rare thing, and something that should be celebrated.’ —Caitríona O’Reilly
Details: 320 pages 170mm x 240mm 0.626 kg
Cover art by Mark Strand An Unamuno Author Series and Desperate Literature title
Including work by:Carl Adamshick, Nico Amador, Francisco Aragón, David Baker, Layla Benitez-James, Richard Blanco, Peg Boyers, Jericho Brown, Barney Bush, Rafael Carvajal, Mario Chard, Scott Cunningham; Joanne Diaz, Mark Doty, Michael Dumanis, Mary Moore Easter, Kit Fan, Joseph Fasano, Monica Ferrell, Joan Fleming, Kathleen Flenniken, Carolyn Forché, Livia Franchini, Forrest Gander, Dana Gioia, Aracelis Girmay, Rigoberto González, Jennifer Grotz, Christian Gullette, Marilyn Hacker, Tom Healy, Travis Helms, Marie Howe, Jenny Johnson, Marjorie Kanter, John Koethe, Shara Lessley, Su Smallen Love, Sheila Maldonado, Campbell McGrath, Ricardo Menes, Naomi Mulvihill, Luis Muñoz, Pádraig Ó Tuama, Sharon Olds, Caitríona O’Reilly, Gregory Pardlo, Elena Penga, Emilia Phillips, Dana Prescott, Ruben Quesada, Octavio Quintanilla, Spencer Reece, Paisley Rekdal, Luis J. Rodríguez, Steven Sanchez, Annie Schumacher, Richard Scott, Martha Serpas, Bruce Snider, Page Hill Starzinger, Fiona Sze-Lorrain, Jeremy Voigt, Clarissa Watson, Michael White, Mark Wunderlich, Monica Youn, Maya Jewell Zeller, Mark Strand
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‘Eleven Stories 2019’
Literary PrizeEleven Stories 2019 collects the shortlist from our first short fiction prize into a limited edition risograph booklet ready for your reading pleasure.
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
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Sold out
‘Eleven Stories’
Literary Prize---SOLD OUT---
Eleven Stories collects the shortlist from our first short fiction prize into a limited edition risograph booklet ready for your reading pleasure.
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.’
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Prize Submission 2025
Literary Prize, Prize Entry€20 Single Entry (+ €10 every further entry)The 2024 Desperate Literature Prize for Short Fiction is NOW CLOSED for submissions
Before you enter, please ensure that you are eligible to enter the prize and have read our 'Eligibility & Conditions' page for the details on all the prizes. If you have any questions, you can also consult our FAQs page. Entries are limited to five pieces per person. EXTENDED DEADLINE: APRIL13th30th 2025 (23h59 CEST) If you'd like to own previously shortlisted stories, with submission entry you can get a free .pdf copy of Eleven Stories 2024 and €2.50 off both the full pdf bundle (2018 - 2024) as well as the print edition of Eleven Stories 2024. Just remember to add it to the cart at the time of purchase! If you have any issues with the submission or uploading, we made an FAQs page to help out!FILES ARE UPLOADED AFTER CHECKOUT JUST SCROLL TO THE VERY BOTTOM OF THE RECEIPT PAGE
Please note: in order to benefit from the multiple entry discount, all entries must be made at the same time.
€20 Single Entry (+ €10 every further entry) -
Gift Certificates
GIFTS€25.00 – €100.00The perfect gift for bibliophiles near and far.
Order online and we'll prepare the gift certificate and have it ready for you or the lucky recipient on the day you specify below.*
“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.”
Jorge Luis Borges
* please note, gift certificates are valid for one year after the specified collection date. And of course, if you'd prefer us to let the recipient know about their gift certificates so that they don't miss the good news, just select the relevant option below and include the recipients email!€25.00 – €100.00
