Pets Win Prizes

The shortlist for the National Short Story Prize has been announced by the BBC. My story, "The Orphan and the Mob", is on it. This is rather exciting, as it is, according to the Guardian, "the world's richest short story prize". The five shortlisted stories will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 over the next week, and then published in a small book by Grove/Atlantic.

I strongly recommend you listen to the radio version of "The Orphan and the Mob", as it has been recorded by Conor Lovett, the greatest Beckett actor of his generation, and my favourite stage actor. (And, for you uncultured oafs who spurn our glorious theatre, he was also in The Mainland episode of Father Ted.) It goes out on Radio 4, at 3.30pm, Tuesday 17th of April (2007). I'm sure it'll be streamed live, and archived later, so neither space nor time can stop you supping at the deep well of Conor Lovett's genius. (If you ever get the chance, go see him do Molloy, or even better, Molloy, Malone Dies and The Unnameable. It's just him, directed by Judy Hegarty, and it's the best thing I've ever seen in a theatre.)

This is the shortlist:

Hanif Kureishi - Weddings and Beheadings

Jackie Kay - How To Get Away with Suicide

Julian Gough - The Orphan and The Mob.

David Almond- Slog's Dad

Jonathan Falla - The Morena

The judges are Mark Lawson, Monica Ali, AS Byatt, Di Speirs of the BBC and Alex Linklater of Prospect magazine.

First prize is fifteen grand. Second is three grand.

The winner will be announced on the 23rd of April.