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Monday 28 September 2015

BBC National Short Story Award 2015: the shortlist

The shortlist of five has been announced for the 2015 BBC National Short Story Award (NSSA) and were broadcast on R4 last week. You can still listen to all five stories and below there are links, along with my thoughts on each one.

Did you enter? This time round I didn't bother because as you can see from the shortlist the standard is incredibly high, dominated by well known writers. The winner gets £15,000, along with substantial publicity, which explains why some very successful writers enter this competition (runner-up gets £3,000 and the others all get £500). So you need to enter your very BEST story and then be prepared to tie it up for six months. One plus is there's no entry fee, but you do need to have publishing credits, which again encourages the professional writers to enter. Earlier this year I made the final 50 long list for the Bath Short Story Award - and was pretty chuffed about that. The top prize was £1000 and there was an entry fee of £8, yet there were >1000 entries compared to 439 for the BBC NSSA, which again says something about the field entering the NSSA. The maximum word count for the NSSA is 8,000 - high for a competition, so you do need a longer story as clearly you will need to fill a 25 minute slot on Radio 4 ... So will I have a go in 2016? Hmm, I'm thinking about it, but don't yet have a short story long enough. Clearly, first person narration works well for an audio story, so that's another thing to consider. This could be a new goal for me post the MA dissertation ...

If you plan to listen to these then I'd recommend not reading the blurb that goes with them on R4 - it does spoil the experience a little.

Briar Road by Jonathan Buckley (read by Maine Peake)
A well constructed and written story, subtle yet powerful. The first person narration is lifted by the skilful reading of Maxine Peake. Which did make me ponder on how much the chosen reader can enhance the story? This story totally absorbed me from the opening sentence to the very end. I can find it difficult to concentrate on audio stories, but this one mesmerised me. My coffee went cold. Highly recommended.

Bunny by Mark Haddon (read by Colin Buchanan)
There were changes in point of view, which I'm not a fan of in a short story, but for the narrative the changes were important. At first I thought there was nothing new in the theme of this story and then the ending came as a total shock. The final tragic 'twist' lifts the story, explaining how it made it to the shortlist. Unnerving.

Broderie Anglaise by Frances Leviston (read by Kate O'Flynn)
Another first person narration, read engagingly by Kate O'Flynn. But even the humour didn't keep me engaged. I've listened to this twice now and drifted off both times. It points to tensions in a family relationship, but possibly was too subtle for me and I may have missed its hidden depths.

The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher by Hilary Mantel (read by Rebekah Staton)
You may have already heard this version, as it was broadcast towards the end of 2014 when R4 serialised some of the collection (same title). Cynically, one could think the BBC saved a bit of dosh by re-using the recording... Again this is first person narration, though starts off sounding almost omniscient pov. Clever device to re-imagine a real past event and consequently the reader/listener can't predict the outcome. When I sat to listen again to this story I couldn't remember the ending. Even now I couldn't tell you how it ends - I remember the theme, but little else. Enough said.

Do it now, jump the table by Jeremy Page (read by Blake Ritson)
I would definitely read more of Jeremy Page after listening to this entry. The story leaps right in with a lively third person narration. Delightfully comic and yet tender, gentle and bittersweet. I was fully engaged and enjoyed every minute of this story. Highly recommended.


My favourites for the top prize are: 'Briar Road' and 'Do it now, jump the table'. These are the stories that lingered longest with me. I'm a huge fan of Hilary Mantel and her writing, but I don't think 'The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher' is her best. To be honest it felt bit of a gimmick - the controversial theme certainly must have helped to promote and sell her collection (published 2014). I don't know if the stories are read anonymously (up to shortlist stage), but if you know anything about the short story world you'd instantly recognise Hilary Mantel's story from its title ... Let's wait and see who takes the prize this year ...


13 comments:

  1. I'm looking forward to listening to these, Tracy. Many thanks for mentioning it and I enjoyed reading your thoughts very much. I've not entered this particular competition and it will be interesting to hear what the standard is like. xxx

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    1. Hope you enjoy them, Joanna. Would be good to know your opinions on these.

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    2. I have just listened to Briar Road and my coffee went cold too. Looking forward to the rest.

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    3. I'm really pleased you liked Briar Road, Joanna. Beautifully read by Maxine Peake.

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  2. Tracy, I assume you mean that you would definitely (as opposed to 'wouldn't'?) read more by Jeremy Page, having listened to his story? I agree with you - I loved this. I started listening to it in the radio when it was on Radio 4 last week and it was only a couple of minutes in, when I drew up at my house. Normally I'd have turned the engine and radio off but I was so absorbed that I sat on the drive and listened to it right through to the end and it really made me laugh. Sweet story - loved it (although I agree with you that the reading/voice of the narrator does make a difference and can definitely enhance a story). But I thought it was great.

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    1. Er, yes, oops. Thanks for that, Helen - have now corrected the blog. Yes, definitely WOULD read him again. It was sweet wasn't it, yet still had all the qualities of a really good short story. Always a good sign when you sit in the car and keep listening.

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  3. Thanks for the links, Tracy - will listen to them when I have a quiet moment. I entered in 2014 when I was blissfully ignorant of who else might enter this sort of competition!

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    1. Well you have to be 'in it' etc, Wendy, but have to agree it's not one to pin your hopes on! Let me know your favourite story.

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  4. The stories can be up to 8,000 words, but that's still too long for a 30 minute broadcast - for the 15 minute slots they ask for 1,800 words. Many of the NSSA shortlisted stories get abridged for broadcast, which seems crazy to me as it's already short form and very, very carefully structured as such by the writer.

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    1. That's a really good point, Rachael, which does make you wonder on the selection process. Perhaps this competition should be renamed as it's really about selecting a short story that works on radio - much like the Opening Lines competition ... though that has no cash incentive oddly.

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    2. I find the whole thing a bit odd. Started with good intentions, but muddled. If they want the best short story of the year, it should be irrelevant if it works on radio. If they want to make it an award, they should do that, having a panel select the shortlist from stories published in the given year - that's how big book awards work. If they want it to be a competition, they need to have the same transparency about the judging process as any competition, whether or not there is an entry fee. This, in summary, is why I don't enter. Not because I don't think I can compete with the big names, but because the playing field is not level.

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  5. I did enter. I wasn't shocked not to be on the shortlist even before I saw who is on it, but as I blog about free entry writing competitions I feel I should enter some.

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    1. The free entry makes it worth a punt, Patsy. And you never know ... I usually don't have a story long enough.

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