Introduction

The more I read short fiction the more I’m intrigued by what draws me back to a story. What quality makes me return to a fictional world? What is it about the prose that hypnotises me again? 

The pieces I’ve chosen for my Personal Anthology all have that je ne sais quoi. These are stories I’ve re-read for pleasure and entertainment, to be moved once more by the writing, to be reminded that my personal pain – grief, heartache, shame… – is a shared thing, a human thing, and we are not alone.

From Anton Chekhov to Brian Moore, from Mieko Kawakami to Elizabeth Taylor, my selections travel across centuries, all over the world. I’ve chosen ten stories and two novellas. To me, all of these works feel fluid and alive. Again and again, I’m drawn to them, and grateful to their authors. The joy of re-reading gives these stories new life.