And last but not least, Anna Claire Weber, Marketing and Communications Manager, picked THE LACK OF LIGHT by Nino Haratischwili (tr. @cctranslates.bsky.social & @dances-with-voles.bsky.social ) @harpercollins.bsky.social bookshop.org/a/169/978006...

Hats off! That is *so* many rhymes 👏

Yeah, that was what made me do it, more than anything.

Do it! I learned aged 40 (in an automatic) and it has been life-changing. Ferrying elderly relatives around, going to see far-flung friends etc. Driving instructors also seem pretty happy to teach someone with a fully formed frontal lobe

Congratulations! To all of you! This is a fabulous list, and it's great to see books that haven't been on every other prize shortlist - some excellent, thoughtful choices from the judges.

Hello

Yes! If she'd been looking now, that book would never have been written - they're available on Project Gutenberg.

Yes, you can have it in Michael Hofmann's version (Collected Shorter Fiction) or mine (The Coral Merchant: Essential Stories). It's weird and episodic but I like it.

Joseph Roth's story 'The Bust of the Emperor'? - not the level of detail you're looking for maybe, but good for the sense of dislocation and the emotion around national identity. And short!

Fantastic, very glad you're enjoying it!

Thank you Rachel!

Thank you! So many great books here, the longlist will be brilliant whatever ends up on it

Aaargh, that weasley passive that suggests even the human oversight of this process might not in fact be human.

Ah, I loved Round About Town! Definitely made me look at the local streets differently, perhaps it's his influence...

Ugh, sorry to hear that - I honestly thought Whitstable had escaped this nonsense. Regional-level racists obviously working to ensure full coverage now.