Stories
Short stories for you to download for free
Deep Blue Sea
by Peter Hobbs
from I Could Ride All Day in My Cool Blue Train, published by Faber
A Tray of Ice Cubes
by Gerard Woodward
"This is a great example of the Kafka-esque and the surreal - which you only really get in such pure form in short stories; you simply couldn't sustain it for a full novel." Ra Page, Comma Press
The Clockwork Atom Bomb
by Dominic Green
first published in Interzone 198 May/June 2005
The Daughters of the Late Colonel
by Katherine Mansfield
recommended by writer Jackie Kay
My Daughter, the Fox
by Jackie Kay
originally published in Endangered Species, an online anthology edited by Val McDermid for www.saveourshortstory.org.uk, the forerunner to this site.
The Library
by Romesh Gunesekera
from Underwords: The Hidden City, edited by Maggie Hamand, published by Maia Press
The Flyover
by Rana Dasgupta
Shortlisted for the 2006 National Short Story Prize, an earlier version of this story first appeared in Tokyo Cancelled published by Fourth Estate.
The Safehouse
by Michel Faber
Shortlisted for the 2006 National Short Story Prize, first published in The Fahrenheit Twins published by Canongate
It's Beginning to Hurt
by James Lasdun
An exclusive new story for this website by the winner of the National Short Story Prize 2006.
The Ebony Hand
by Rose Tremain
Shortlisted for the 2006 National Short Story Prize, this story first appeared in The Darkness of Wallis Simpson published by Chatto & Windus
Men of Ireland
by William Trevor
Shortlisted for the National Short Story Prize 2006, this story first appeared in Prospect magazine (August 2005)
An Anxious Man
by James Lasdun
Winner of the 2006 National Short Story Prize, this story appeared in The Paris Review (issue 173 spring 2005)
Smile Mannequin, Smile
by Courttia Newland
from Music for the Off-Key, published by Peepal Tree Press
How the Tiger Got Its Stripes
by Nicholas Hogg
How The Tiger Got Its Stripes won 'Editor's Choice' in the 2009 Raymond Carver Short Story Contest
Magic & Childhood: three tales of innocence from Israel
by Etgar Keret
Three stories by an inventive young Israeli writer.
The Calm Before
by Denise Mina
This story first appeared with the title 'Carol's Gift' in Something Wicked, Something New: New Scottish Crime Writing (Polygon).
The Will Writer
by Alison MacLeod
'The Will Writer' is taken from Alison MacLeod's collection Fifteen Modern Tales of Attraction (Penguin).
Coupling
by Alison MacLeod
'Coupling' is taken from Alison MacLeod's collection Fifteen Modern Tales of Attraction (Penguin).
The High Master and Little Billy Clough
by John Waddington-Feather
Prolific English writer John Waddington-Feather has kindly allowed us to add this story to the Story website.
The Numbers
by Clare Wigfall
Clare Wigfall's 'The Numbers' won the 2008 BBC National Short Story Award.
The Names
by Adam Thorpe
Adam Thorpe's 'The Names' was shortlisted for the 2008 BBC National Short Story Award.
Guidelines for Measures to Cope with Disgraceful and Other Events
by Richard Beard
Richard Beard's 'Guidelines for Measures to Cope with Disgraceful and Other Events' was shortlisted for the 2008 BBC National Short Story Award.
Surge
by Erin Soros
'Surge' by Erin Soros was shortlisted for the 2008 BBC National Short Story Award.
The Lost Son
by Linda Cracknell
Linda Cracknell has taught English in Zanzibar, worked for the environmental charity WWF and was writer-in-residence at Hugh MacDiarmid's last home near Biggar.
The People on Privilege Hill
by Jane Gardam
'The People on Privilege Hill' was shortlisted for the 2008 BBC National Short Story Award.
Sleepers
by Anne Donovan
Anne Donovan is the author of two novels, Buddha Da and Being Emily, and the short story collection Hieroglyphics.
Something Like Happy
by John Burnside
John Burnside is an acclaimed poet and novelist, whose collection The Asylum Dance won the 2000 Whitbread Poetry Award. His memoir, A Lie About My Father, was published in 2006 to enormous critical acclaim.
Jewfish
by Naomi Alderman
Naomi Alderman was one of the judges for the 2008 BBC National Short Story Award.
The Girl from the Train
by Adam Kamiński
The Story campaign is delighted to feature this brand-new, exclusive story by Polish writer Adam Kamiński. 'The Girl from the Train' has been translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones.
A Special Day
by Ricardo Waale
The Story campaign is delighted to feature this brand-new, exclusive story by Venezuelan writer Ricardo Waale. 'A Special Day' has been translated by Christina MacSweeney.
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