Elizabeth Strout won the Pulitzer Prize for her wonderful 2009 book Olive Kitteridge. Marketed as a novel, but more accurately described as a collection of linked short stories, Olive Kitteridge is a superb work of fiction.

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In this session, we'll focus on the story, "Incoming Tide" an exquisitely crafted story dealing with unbearable pain, death, love, opportune moments, and the value of human connection. 

Katherine Mansfield (1888-1923) was a writer and poet who broke new ground with experimental short stories, crafted with deft psychological insight and thematic depth. A key figure in the development of literary modernism, Mansfield’s stories portrayed the emotional intricacies of family relationships, class tensions, and individual awakening, and captured truths about the significant, deeply felt moments of our lives.

In this course we'll get a overview of Mansfield's work, and explore a selection of her stories in detail.

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Watch my short video on a superb Mansfield story, here - The Fly

One of the great modernist works of short fiction, Dubliners was finally published in 1914. As a celebration of Bloomsday this June, and the 100th anniversary of the publication of Joyce's great novel, Ulysses, we will be exploring Dubliners over 4-weeks!  

Born in 1975, Zadie Smith is an English writer, who has published numerous works, including novels, short stories, plays and essays. Her first novel, White Teeth (2000) was published to wide acclaim and was an immediate best-seller. 

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Smith's short story collection, Grand Union was published in 2019. It includes 19 stories, which display the full range of her intellect, wit and mastery of the short story form.  

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Over 3-weeks we'll discuss a selection of stories - TBA

Ernest Hemingway (1896-1961) was a novelist and short story writer, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1960. 

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Over three weeks we'll look at a selection of stories, exploring their style and main themes. We'll also consider Hemingway's wider reputation as one of America's preeminent novelists. 

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Angela Carter (1940-1992) was one of the preeminent British writers of the post-war period. She wrote novels, short stories, and poems, as well as non-ficton articles and journalism.

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The Bloody Chamber was published in 1979 to great literary acclaim. It consists of ten short stories which rework well-known classic fairy tales, opening them to more feminist readings.

Anton Chekov (1860-1904) was a Russian short story writer and dramatist. His plays, are regarded as modern classics, whilst his deft, beautifully crafted short fiction demonstrates a genuine control of the craft.

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Over 3 weeks we will explore a selection of Chekhov's best stories, including, The Kiss, The Black Monk, A Case History, and, The Lady with the Dog. 

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Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935) was a short story, poet, novelist, Utopian feminist, and social reformer.

She is best known for her 1892 story, "The Yellow-Wallpaper" an important work of feminist literature dealing with the human need for self-expression, and patriarchal attitudes to women's mental health. 

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