The BBC National Short Story Award

Featuring:M.J. Hyland, Alison MacLeod, Jon McGregor, K.J. Orr and S.W. Wilson."We are living through a golden moment in the history of the short story,' wrote The Guardian recently, and the annual BBC National Short Story Award is both a testament to this, and one of the reasons why we are. Now in its sixth year, the Award supports and showcases Britain's best new short fiction and continues to champion the short story as a central literary form.Themes of desire, envy and disconnection provide recurring motifs for the five shortlisted stories presented here – the extremes that love can endure and what happens when love is not enough. The panel of judges this year included novelist Tessa Hadley, novelist and critic Geoff Dyer, poet and author of Submarine, Joe Dunthorne and BBC Editor of Readings, Di Speirs. The panel was chaired by broadcaster Sue MacGregor who also introduces the selection.

The BBC National Short Story Award is one of the richest prizes—and the most prestigious—for the form, and this unique anthology gathers the five stories short-listed for the 2013 version of the award. With an introduction by well-respected art critic, broadcaster, journalist, and television presenter Mariella Frostrup, this collection provides American readers with the opportunity to acquaint themselves with some of the most distinguished writers of short fiction from Britain. The five nominees for the award will be named on September 20 and the winner picked on October 8. Previous winners include Miroslav Penkov, D. W. Wilson, David Constantine, and Kate Clanchy.