This original short story by Elodie Harper is published in The Guardian and is told in the form of an email exchange. A reservoir in Lithuania leads wild swimmer Chrissie to some deep and very dark revelations, as she writes to her friend in the story that Stephen King judged the winner of the newspaper short story competition.
This is an autobiographical short story by American writer Harper Lee, famous for her novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Here Lee tells us about an unusual Christmas where the gift of friendship changed her life forever. This story was originally published in The Guardian with beautiful illustrations by Bill Bragg.
This as short story by Rabindranah Tagore originally published in Bengali in 1918. It is the story of how efforts to 'educate and improve' a the parrot led to sad consequences. It is a story about education that was relevant to Tagore ate the beginning of last century and almost 100 years after still resonates with students and teachers alike. Translated into English by Palash Baran Pal.
This 1944 World War II story by Roald Dahlwhich was originally published in Harper's Magazine. It is the story of an English Spitfire pilot, who is injured when flying home; when he begins to feel light-headed, and decides to bail out of his plane just as he starts to pass over the English Channel.
Roald Dahl was a British novelist, short story writer, poet, screenwriter, and fighter pilot. He rose to prominence in the 1940s with works for both children and adults and became one of the world's best-selling authors.
This short story was written by Joseph Conrad in 1901, first published in the Illustrated London News (December 1901), and collected in Typhoon and Other Stories (1903). Joseph Conrad is regarded by many as one of the greatest novelists in the English language and a master prose stylist.
This is the story of a poor emigrant from Central Europe sailing to America who shipwrecks off the coast of England. The residents of nearby villages regard him as a dangerous tramp and madman. He speaks no English and his strange foreign language frightens them.
This story was written by James Joyce, one of the most celebrated Irish writers. This is a story that focuses on the theme of escape, or the impossibility of it. 'Eveline' is one of the stories published in Dubliners where stagnation is a common theme.
Eveline’s story illustrates the pitfalls of holding onto the past when facing the future. Hers is the first portrait of a female in Dubliners, and it reflects the conflicting pull many women in early twentieth-century Dublin felt between a domestic life rooted in the past and the possibility of a new married life abroad.
This is a story written in the fairy tale genre and published by Oscar Wilde in 1888 in a collection of stories for children called The Happy Prince and Other Tales. However, this is much more than a short piece of writing for children; it raises issues of loyalty, beliefs, values, friendship and, perhaps above all, love.
This is a very short story indeed. It is just just two pages long but it tells a fascinating story about relationships. It was written by Kate Chopin, an American author of short stories and novels now considered by some as a forerunner of feminist writing in the 20th century.
This is a story by Somerset Maugham, a British playwright, novelist and short story writer, who here explores class tensions and changes in society.
A vergeris a person, usually a layperson, who assists in the ordering of religious services, particularly in Anglican churches. Albert Dobson is a very good verger who has served the church for years. But when the modernizing new vicar discovers Albert cannot read or write, he soon leaves him no choice but to resign.
This is the story of a returnee, Ray, who has made enough money in London to rebuild a house in Colombo, his hometown. He is helped by Siri, a young man from the country, and together they talk about building another house, in the country. This is set against the backdrop of Sri Lanka's ongoing civil war. When tragedy comes a bit too close to home, everything changes.
Romesh Gunesekera was born in Sri Lanka, and has been living and writing in London since the 1970s. His writing is frequently elegiac and wistful, casting reflective eyes at 'the spoiled paradise' of his original home.