Short stories
Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award: Why I wrote The Shoe King of Shanghai
Jonathan Tel is one of six shortlisted author's for the world's richest prize for a single short story. He reveals what inspired his work
Twitlit: Agra by Richard House
A quarrel between two friends as they travel across India has far-reaching consequences in this mysterious tale composed entirely from tweets
Lost and found
Russell Banks's story has its origins in an image of a middle-aged businessman in a hotel room, about to commit adultery with an attractive, slightly younger woman
Safa@40
Imran tries internet dating
Nate’s pain is now
A story from the American novelist's latest collection
The appearance of freedom
The writer Peter Stamm transforms the mundane into profound and gripping fiction
Debi
Fiction from one of Georgia's emerging young writers
What a difference a decade makes
Ten years ago the American short story was in decline. Now it is once again a vital genre
Hawkins
A short story by William Lychack
The Blue Book
An extract from AL Kennedy's new novel, The Blue Book
Franco-British Council Short Story Prize
Earlier this month an expert panel awarded the annual Prospect/Franco-British Council prize for a short story inspired by France. The winning stories are reproduced below