BBC National Short Story Award 2016

Young garment workers in a Bangladeshi factory seek a better life, at a price...

A girl on a deep, dark moor is drawn into a different kind of darkness after a stranger gives her a bunch of flowers...

A retired plastic surgeon, who once served the great and the not-so-good of Buenos Aires, finds a new peace when he disguises his identity...

An academic seeks sanctuary in a different rhythm of life... While those who wile away the nights in A&E, unlikely memories and a good sense of the absurd keep the worst at bay...

The characters assembled in this year’s shortlist are all looking for a new start, a chance to escape or change the way they are perceived. Now in its eleventh year, the BBC National Short Story Award with BookTrust continues to showcase a literary form in the very best of health. The stories this year were shortlisted by poet Kei Miller, Man Booker Award-winning novelist Pat Barker, Southbank Centre’s Literature Programmer Ted Hodgkinson, and BBC’s Books Editor Di Speirs. The judging panel was chaired by Woman’s Hour presenter Jenni Murray, who also introduces the collection.