This month 4th Estate launched a new series, 4th Shorts, publishing two short story collections – Barbara the Slut by Lauren Holmes and Single, Carefree, Mellow by Katherine Heiny in distinctive pocket-size paperback A formats with flaps.
‘Though she be but little, she is fierce!’ – Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act 3, Scene 2,
Let’s celebrate the little things in life, because some of the best things come in unexpectedly small passages. You should never judge a book by its cover, and especially never by its size. Read more…
As you’ll know by now, this month’s theme is SECRETS AND LIES; a common thread in literature, because there’s nothing better than a hidden story. We thought that it might be nice to share a short story from the incredible Barbara the Slut. Take it away, Mike Anonymous… Read more…
When we were discussing this month’s music theme on the blog, we remembered that the inimitable Nell Zink was the editor of an indie rock fanzine before she wrote scintillating novels like The Wallcreeper and Mislaid. When we asked her whether she had any pages to show us, she wrote back apologising for not owning a scanner. However, she did have a (tenuously) music-themed story to hand; the story of an anaconda who unwittingly gets stuck in the New York art scene, and ends up devouring a doyenne of the 90s underground experimental rock community.
We couldn’t wait to share it with you…
