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Fish Anthology 2006: Grandmother,Girl,Wolf and Other Stories(Softback - 2006) €12.95 |
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Short stories give us a glimpse of the concerns of people and society generally, at a point in time, almost like a poll coming up to an election, that fails to ask a specific question. In one year there might be a preponderance of stories with suicide as a theme. Another year it might be the failure of relationships or fear of loneliness and old age. You get the insight from each individual story, along with the general one.
The one Page Story gives us a glimpse of something else. It is, quite frankly, too short to take the pulse of the zeitgeist. They are tiny. 250 words is not enough to explore a theme or develop a character. They often resemble a needle bursting a balloon. I think that they show the relative health of the contrariness, the anarchy, the subconscious subversion that is out there working away at undermining every precept, pretension and pillar we erect to hold the fortress of our cultural and moral cohesion. And they can be great fun.
For the first time there is poetry in a Fish Anthology. Poetry is dodgy stuff. It can be difficult to read, impenetrable, labyrinthine, confusing, enlightening, intoxicating and brilliant and bad. What could be worse than a poem that just doesn't work, or more wonderful that one that simply does? They rattle you at a different vibration than most Short or One Page stories, as though they are made from the same raw material as dreams and nightmares. We put them all at the centre of the anthology where they can hum and radiate.
There is, as there always is, a wide geographic spread. The winner of the Short Story Prize, Katie Henderson, is a New Zealander, and the first from that country to win the prize. Clorinda Smith from Suffolk won the One Page Prize, and the winner of the Poetry Prize, Richard Rudd, is from Devon. Of the five poets, three are from Ireland. For the rest of the anthology, the writters come mostly from the Americas and Europe, and a single Australian. The aim of this anthology is to promote excellence in short fiction, and to help writers along the path to fulfilling their ambition. Sean Lusk appears ina Fish Anthology for the second time and is thereby prevented by the rules from entering the Fish Short Story Prize again. One of the most talented and versatile writers we have had the honour to publish, we wish him every success. Last year his story A Burning and a Smudging was short listed to the last three, but he had to withdraw it for personal reasons, missing out on the chance of winning the overall prize and €10,000. I hope to see it in print some day.
Softback: 2006
Printed Pages: 208
Size: 215 x 137mm
ISBN: 9780954258658
