A NICE MAN CALLED FRANK

I am very fond of a man called Frank O'Connor. He seems very nice, and I am on something called a longlist called after him, with loads of new friends. Roddy Doyle sounds nice too, and so does Jhumpa Lahiri. I already know Ann Enright.

Wonder what sort of jumpers they wear? You've got to look the part, apparently.

Still. Here are my new friends, from all over the place. It's fun. My batty writer says I haven't got a cat's chance in hell. And she's right! Or would be, except for my new flameproof pink jumper...




THE LONGLIST FOR THE 2008 FRANK O'CONNOR SHORT STORY PRIZE



IRELAND (5 authors)

Mary Rochford (IRELAND)
Gilded Shadows
Tia Publishing, Birmingham, UK
Mary O’Donnell (IRELAND)
Storm over Belfast
New Island, Dublin, Ireland
Gerard Donovan (IRELAND)
Country of the Grand
Faber & Faber Ltd, London, UK
Anne Enright (IRELAND)
Taking Pictures
Jonathan Cape – The Random House Group, London, UK
Roddy Doyle (IRELAND)
The Deportees and other stories
Jonathan Cape – The Random House Group, London, UK





BRITAIN (14 authors including 8 authors from Salt Publishing)

James Waddington (BRITAIN)
Torc
Ogo Press, Honley, Holmfirth, UK
Clare Wigfall (BRITAIN)
The Loudest Sound and Nothing
Faber & Faber Ltd, London, UK
Niki Aguirre (BRITAIN)
29 Ways to Drown
Flipped Eye Publishing, Manchester, UK
Wendy Perriam (BRITAIN)
Little Marvel and Other Stories
Robert Hale Limited, London, UK
David Gaffney (BRITAIN)
Aroma Bingo
Salt Publishing Ltd, Cambridge, Uk
Carys Davies (BRITAIN)
Some New Ambush
Salt Publishing Ltd, Cambridge, Uk
Elizabeth Baines (BRITAIN)
Balancing on the Edge of the World
Salt Publishing Ltd, Cambridge, Uk
Padrika Tarrant (BRITAIN)
Broken Things
Salt Publishing Ltd, Cambridge, Uk
Linda Cracknell (BRITAIN)
The Searching Glance
Salt Publishing Ltd, Cambridge, Uk
William Guy (BRITAIN)
The I Love You Book
Salt Publishing Ltd, Cambridge, Uk
Vanessa Gebbie (BRITAIN)
Words From a Glass Bubble
Salt Publishing Ltd, Cambridge, Uk
Richard Bardsley (BRITAIN)
Body Parts – The Anatomy of Love
Salt Publishing Ltd, Cambridge, Uk
Robert Shearman (BRITAIN)
(Writer of the Dr Who series and a contemporary of David Walliams at Reigate Grammar School, has worked with Alan Ayckbourn and had a play produced by Francis Ford Coppola)
Tiny Deaths
Comma Press, Manchester, Uk
Adam Marek (BRITAIN)
Instruction Manual for Swallowing
Comma Press, Manchester, Uk



AUSTRALIA (4 authors)

John Clancy (AUSTRALIA)
Her Father’s Daughter
University of Queensland Press, St. Lucia Queensland, Australia
Susan Midalia (AUSTRALIA)
A History of the Beanbag
Uwa Press, Crawley, Australia
Kathryn Lomer (AUSTRALIA)
Camera Obscura
University of Queensland Press, St. Lucia Queensland, Australia
Nam Le (VIETNAM-AUSTRALIA)
The Boat
Canongate Books Limited, Edinburgh, UK



NEW ZEALAND (4 authors)

Tim Jones (NEW ZEALAND)
Transported
Random House New Zealand Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand
Sue Orr (NEW ZEALAND)
Etiquette for a Dinner Party
Random House New Zealand Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand
Elizabeth Smither (NEW ZEALAND)
The Girl Who Proposed
Cape Catley Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand
Witi Ihimaera (NEW ZEALAND)
Often regarded as the most prominent Māori writer alive today, his novel, The Whale Rider, was made into the very successful film of the same name.
Ask The Posts Of The House
Raupo Publishing Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand



USA (8 authors)



Jhumpa Lahiri (USA)
Unaccustomed Earth
Alfred A. Knopf Inc., Random House Inc., New York, Usa
Wanda Coleman (USA)
Jazz and Twelve O’Clock Tales
Black Sparrow Books, Boston, Massachusetts, Usa
Benjamin Percy (USA)
Refresh, Refresh
Jonathan Cape – The Random House Group, London, Uk
Janet Kauffman (USA)
Trespassing – Dirt Stories and Field Notes
Wayne State University Press, Detroit, Usa
Jim Shepard (USA)
Like you’d understand, anyway
Alfred A. Knopf Inc., Random House Inc., New York, Usa
Marianne Herrmann (USA)
Signaling For Rescue
New Rivers Press, Moorhead, MN, Usa
Don Waters (USA)
Desert Gothic
University of Iowa Press, Iowa City, Usa
Donald Ray Pollock (USA)
Knockemstiff
Harvill Secker Editorial – The Random House Group Ltd, London, UK


CANADA


Alison MacLeod (CANADA)
Fifteen Modern Tales of Attraction
Hamish Hamilton, London, UK


SINGAPORE

Wena Poon (SINGAPORE)
Lions in Winter: stories
MPH Group Publishing, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia


TAIWAN

Egoyan Zheng (Qian-Ci Zheng) (TAIWAN)
Urn’s Bottom Village Stories
Press Store Publishing Co., Taichung City, Taiwan


NIGERIA

Tubal R. Cain (NIGERIA)
Dandaula and Other African Tales
Precious Styles Nigeria Limited, Jebba, Kwara State, Nigeria





Frequently asked Questions

What is the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award?

Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award is an annual award of 35,000 euros, as such it is currently the world's richest prize for the short story form. The award is in memory of the late Frank O'Connor, one of the world's most renowned short story writers. The award is presented in O'Connor's hometown of Cork, Ireland. It is organised by the Munster Literature Centre and funded by Cork City Council. The award goes to the author of the book judged to be the best collection of stories published in English for the first time anywhere in the world in the twelve months between September of one year and August of the next. If a translated book wins, the purse is shared equally between the author and translator.

How are books considered for the award?

Publishers, authors or agents may enter eligible works of short fiction. Self-publications are considered but entries from vanity presses are not. Books must be submitted by March 31st in seven bound copies to the Munster Literature Centre



What sort of books are entered in error?

Vanity press publications, books first published outside the year of consideration, books which collect or select stories published from the author's previous short story collections and collections of novellas.

How is the winner decided?

All eligible titles constitute the long-list which is read by the jury. A short-list of four or six is chosen. The winner is selected after further deliberations from the short-list.

Who will serve as judges?

The judges are selected by the director of the Munster Literature Centre from published short-story writers, academics with a track-record of involvement with the short story and from time to time any other special category person.

When will the shortlist be announced?

the short-list will be announced mid-July in 2008

How will the winner be announced?

The winner will be declared at the closing event of the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Festival in Cork, Ireland on Sunday September 21st