Cornish Short Stories: A Collection of Contemporary Cornish Writing

by Tim Hannigan (Contributor), Philipa Aldous (Contributor), Cathy Galvin (Contributor)

Ghosts walk in the open and infidelities are conducted in plain sight. Two teenagers walk along a perfect beach in the anticipation of a first kiss. Time stops for nothing – not even for death. Sometimes time cracks, disrupting a fragile equilibrium. The stories are peopled with locals and incomers, sailors and land dwellers; a diver searches the deep for what she has lost, and forbidden lovers meet in secret places. Throughout, the writers' words reveal a love of the incomparable Cornish landscape. This bold and striking new anthology showcases Cornwall's finest contemporary writers, combining established and new voices, Philipa Aldous, Cathy Galvin, Anastasia Gammon,Tim Hannigan, Clare Howdle, Adrian Markle, Tim Martindale, Candy Neubert, Felicity Notley, Sarah Perry, S. Reid, Alan Robinson, Rob Magnuson Smith, Katherine Stansfield, Emma Staughton, Sarah Thomas, Emma Timpany,Tom Vowler, Elaine Ruth White.

194 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 2, 2018

About the author

Tim Hannigan was born in Penzance in Cornwall in the far west of the United Kingdom. Before becoming a full-time writer, he worked as a chef and an English teacher. He started his writing career as a travel journalist based in Indonesia. His first book, Murder in the Hindu Kush (The History Press, 2011), was shortlisted for the Boardman Tasker Prize. His second book, Raffles and the British Invasion of Java (Monsoon Books, 2012), won the 2013 John Brooks Award. He also wrote A Brief History of Indonesia (Tuttle, 2015), and edited and wrote new chapters for Willard Hanna's classic narrative history of Bali, now republished as A Brief History of Bali (Tuttle, 2016). His more recent books include The Travel Writing Tribe (2021) and The Granite Kingdom (2023). He has worked on guidebooks to many destinations including Nepal, India, Myanmar, Bali and Cornwall.

Reviews

[Eliza Clara Hemming · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gorgeous collection of often melancholy stories, invoking the beautiful and sometimes harsh landscapes of Cornwall. This is a sublime anthology!

[Steffi Bauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought this on a trip to Cornwall and ended up loving almost every story in it. A beautifully curated collection that captures the wildness, quiet, and charm of the region without ever leaning too twee. There’s something quietly magical about recognising places you’ve actually been woven into fiction – like stumbling across a memory in someone else’s words. Atmospheric, varied, and genuinely transportive. A gem.

[Mark Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Each writer showcased here brings something surprising. The pieces are well crafted and refined examples of the craft... There's imagery and tone that lingers, and poetics. I'll happily return to this, and one day seek out the reading night in Falmouth.

[Cascade · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some 4 star stories (especially between Stone and Sea) and some 2 star (many about grief). My favorite part of this book was reference to places we visited or knew from our travel to Cornwall.

[Tabitha · Rating 3 out of 5]

As always with these kinda books you have a mix of the good, the bad and the pointless stories!! One or two gems hidden amongst the rest!