The third in a series of annual anthologies, The Best British Short Stories 2013 reprints the cream of short fiction, by British writers, first published in 2012. These stories appeared in magazines from the Edinburgh Review to Granta, in anthologies from various publishers, and in authors’ own short story collections. They appeared online at 3:AM Magazine, Fleeting and elsewhere.This new anthology includes stories by: Charles Boyle, Regi Claire, Laura Del-Rivo, Lesley Glaister, MJ Hyland, Jackie Kay, Nina Killham, Charles Lambert, Adam Lively, Anneliese Mackintosh, Adam Marek, Alison Moore, Alex Preston, Ross Raisin, David Rose, Ellis Sharp, Robert Shearman, Nikesh Shukla, James Wall and Guy Ware.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction; Alison Moore; The Smell of the Slaughterhouse; Ellis Sharp; The Writer; Adam Marek; The Stormchasers; Jackie Kay; Mrs Vadnie Marlene Sevlon; Ross Raisin; When You Grow into Yourself; Laura Del-Rivo; J Krissman in the Park; Alex Preston; The Swimmer in the Desert; Adam Lively; Voyage; Charles Lambert; Curtains; Anneliese Mackintosh; Doctors; Robert Shearman; Bedtime Stories For Yasmin; Nikesh Shukla; Canute; James Wall; Dancing to Nat King Cole; Nina Killham; My Wife the Hyena; Charles Boyle; Budapest; Lesley Glaister; Just Watch Me; Guy Ware; Hostage; MJ Hyland; Even Pretty Eyes Commit Crimes; Regi Claire; The Tasting; David Rose; Eleanor – The End Notes; Contributors’ Biographies; Acknowledgements

“Let's hope this series becomes an annual fixture.” —CHRIS POWER The Guardian

“If you are new to short stories or are going to get only one short story collection this year then we recommend this one highly” —LOVEREADING UK

“Royle’s (excellent) taste means that little explosions of weirdness or transcendence often erupt amid much well-observed everyday life.” —BOYD TONKIN The Independent

“Highly recommended” —KATE SAUNDERS The Times

“If the aim of this collection is to show the scope of the short story, then it does so well … Thought-provoking and highly recommended.” —SHELLEY MARSDEN Irish World

Nicholas Royle was born in Manchester in 1963. He is the author of seven novels, including: Counterparts, Saxophone Dreams, and First Novel, and a short story collection, Mortality. He has edited sixteen anthologies, including A Book of Two Halves and Neonlit: Time Out Book of New Writing. He lives between London and Manchester and teaches creative writing at MMU