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Stories shortlisted for the National Short Story Award

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BBC National Short Story Award: BBC National Short Story Award 2017

Tamara Lawrance

Elizabeth Allard

BBC National Short Story Award: BBC National Short Story Award 2017: if a book is locked there's probably a good reason for that, don't you think?

20/09/2017

if a book is locked there's probably a good reason for that, don't you think?

BBC National Short Story Award 2017

BBC Radio 4 - BBC National Short Story Award, BBC National Short Story Award 2017, if a book is locked there's probably a good reason for that, don't you think?

By Helen Oyeyemi. Office politics turn dark when a newcomer's handbag is upturned.

By Helen Oyeyemi. Office politics turn dark when a newcomer's handbag is upturned and secrets spill out. Tamara Lawrance reads.

Shortlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award 2017. 

In Helen Oyeyemi's story office politics turn dark when a newcomer's handbag is upturned and secrets spill out. Read by Tamara Lawrance. 

Helen Oyeyemi is the author of several highly acclaimed novels, including The Icarus Girl (2005); The Opposite House (2007); White is for Witching (2009), which won a Somerset Maugham Award and was a Shirley Jackson Award finalist; Mr Fox (2011) and Boy, Snow, Bird (2014), which was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Her short story collection, What is not yours is not yours, was published in 2016 and won the PEN Open Book Award. Helen was selected as one of Granta's Best Young British Novelists in 2013. She studied social and political sciences at Corpus Christi, Cambridge. 

The five stories in the BBC National Short Story Award 2017 reflected an energy and excitement about short fiction from a generation of the UK's most dynamic, contemporary writers. 

Abridged and produced by Elizabeth Allard.

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Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

Readings of the five stories shortlisted for the prestigious annual prize.

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if a book is locked there's probably a good reason for that, don't you think?

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