 Galley Beggar Mail |
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I’m delighted to announce the winner of the 2025/206 Galley Beggar Press short story prize. It is: |
Here’s what one of our judges, Selby Wynn Schwartz, has to say about this wonderful story and the process of choosing it:
What is more pleasurable than reading many inventive, adeptly crafted short stories, except being able to discuss them with wonderfully thoughtful judges? The story that we ultimately chose for the Galley Beggar Short Story Prize is one that stood out to me as soon as I read it: tautly paced, darkly hinting, grimly dystopian and yet queerly hopeful. It is a world-imagining story, one that takes a plot of sexual violence we know all too well in our own time—I thought of Miriam Toews’ novel Women Talking—and pushes it into a post-apocalyptic future with a medieval edge. The writer is especially attentive to gap between body and language, a space where stolen scissors can cut open the possibility for new words.
You can read the story here so you can judge for yourself - and to see exactly what Selby means about the cutting(!). ‘A Devil’s Alphabet’ an inventive, challenging, funny and intriguing piece of writing. Congratulations to Annie Hayter! Elly and I are both very grateful to our excellent, thoughtful judges Sam Mills, Sebastian Godwin and Selby Wynn Schwartz. We’re also very grateful to the many people who entered the competition and made it such a high quality year. It’s been a delight choosing such a fine winner. Of course, we’re also always very conscious of just how many excellent stories were sent in and how many writers also deserve a chance to shine. We’re already looking forward to next year’s competition and hearing more from you all. We’ll be re-opening submissions in the summer and hope you’ll consider entering - or indeed re-entering. |
The Alternative Book Fair |
I’ll be in London on 11th April at 2pm talking about, yes, indepdendent publishing. If you haven’t had enough of me banging on about the same subject in this newsletter, please come along. More importantly, the excellent Will Dady from Renard Press is chairing and there are two fine publishers on the panel with me: Tom Conaghan from Scratch Books and Nina Hervé from Rough Trade books. Details here. |
Write Like A Reader: Arvon Course, May 25th - 28th |
I’m also running a special course in Arvon, alongside the poet Jo Bell, in beautiful Devon countryside in May. Our plan is to mine a few superb bits of writing for techniques and ideas - as well as for the more straightforward joy of reading. If you feel like this is something that might inspire you - and if you want one-to-one feedback on your prose or poetry, this might just be for you. Details here. I’m hoping this course will also be an interesting and productive way of building on our beloved Critical Reading classes. On which subject, we’ve just opened up a new set of those, starting in the summer. I’ll post details in the ever-lengthening PS section below. Before then, one more thing: |
Galley Beggar Press (which is to say Elly and me) joined the anti-far-right march on Saturday. We bumped into the magnificent Toby Litt while we were there and I know many readers of this newsletter will have been at the march, or all the similar marches around the world - or supporting in spirit - and we salute you. Among other things, we are here to uphold freedom of thought and expression - and the people who read this letter and buy our books help keep the hope alive. Thank you! La lutte continue! Fondly, Sam |
PS Critical Reading Briefly, in case you don’t know, our Critical Reading class is a six-month online course – hosted via Zoom – for readers, writers and everyone who wants to develop a deeper understanding of novels and how they work. It looks into the tricks of the author’s trade, and the decisions and craft that go into making a fine book. It also provides a forum to more simply discuss what these books are about, what we think of them and how much we enjoy them. We look at six novels, at the rate of one a month. All classes run on Tuesday evenings from 19:00 to 21:00. For the August 2026—January 2027 classes, the dates and selected titles are: 11 August 2026, Katherine Mansfield, The Garden Party and Other Stories 15 September 2026, Jeanette Winterson, Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit 13 October 2026, Philip Roth, The Plot Against America 10 November 2026, Fran Ross, Oreo 8 December 2026, George Saunders, Lincoln in the Bardo 12 January 2027, Orhan Pamuk (trans. Erdag Göknar), My Name Is Red
To sign up for class one, click here. 18 August 2026, Katherine Mansfield, The Garden Party and Other Stories 22 September 2026, Jeanette Winterson, Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit 20 October 2026, Philip Roth, The Plot Against America 17 November 2026, Fran Ross, Oreo 15 December 2026, George Saunders, Lincoln in the Bardo 19 January 2027, Orhan Pamuk (trans. Erdag Göknar), My Name Is Red
To sign up for class two, click here. The course of six two hour lessons costs £135. You can get more details about the classes by clicking here and I’ll paste some more information about the books in the PS section below this email. They are all fascinating! I’m looking forward to them lighting up the darkness as we plunge into next winter. (They will also help keep the lights on here at Galley Beggar and fund our print runs and authors. We’re always very grateful to everyone who joins in.) |
A bit more on those wonderful books in the Critical Reading course: Katherine Mansfield - The Garden Party and Other Stories When Katherine Mansfield died in 1923, Virginia Woolf wrote in her diary: “When I began to write, it seemed to me there was no point in writing. Katherine won’t read it. Katherine’s my rival no longer.” Virginia Woolf’s rival. That’s how good she was. Jeanette Winterson, Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit Jeanette Winterson is too spiky, too smart, too much to be safely accorded national treasure status — but she’s undoubtedly an asset to our literature. Her debut novel is one of her very best — and that’s saying something. Philip Roth, The Plot Against America Philip Roth is less fashionable than he was — but he’s no less brilliant. The Plot Against America is one of several of his novels that now seem like terrifying acts of prophecy, as well as superb works of art. ‘What would happen if fascists took over the USA?’ he asks here. And, well, yes. Fran Ross, Oreo Fran Ross wrote comedy for Richard Pryor — which is all some people will need to know to want to read this book. In case you want more, it’s an inventive, genre busting, taboo busting, burst of brilliance. Paul Beatty has also pointed out that it’s “hilarious.” George Saunders, Lincoln in the Bardo I’m guessing you know about this one? But it’s confession time for me — I haven’t read it! What I do know is that George Saunders is a very fine writer — and also that my co-director Elly tells me this is a clever, thought-provoking, fantastic novel. I’m looking forward to finding out… Orhan Pamuk (trans. Erdag Göknar), My Name Is Red This is one I have read. It left such an impression, in fact, that I can still remember where I was when I read it and how much I enjoyed it. Mind you, I’m alarmed to note that was over twenty years ago. But I’m guessing it’s stood the test of time. Orhan Pamuk is a remarkable writer, after all. PPPS. We’ve started taking pre-orders for Mark Bowles’ new novel. We’re going to be publishing it in July - so that’s another very good reason to look forward to the summer. How Do People Stay The Same is the follow-up to Mark’s first novel All My Precious Madness, which (yes it did!) won the inaugural Speakies Best Fiction Award, and was shortlisted for The Goldsmiths Prize, The James Tait Black Memorial Prize, and The Author's Club Best First Novel How Do People Stay The Same contains the exquisite prose and lacerating wit that readers loved so much in All My Precious Madness - but this book also reveals even more layers to Mark’s talent. It’s a delicate, deeply tender book – an exploration of family, childhood, love, and the personal bonds that tie us together. It’s told as a series of journal entries that move backwards in time, following the life of Patrick Boyd – from the present-day contentment of family life and backwards through darker, lonelier, sadder stretches of time. It lays all of Patrick’s experience before us, with the challenges of work, housing and all the other pinpricks of existence jostling with his complex inner world. It reveals a fragile man ground down by the world around him – but who might just be able to change and might just have the hope of a brighter future. Might… Anyway, it’s wonderful. Elly and I love this book and we’re very proud to be able to present it to you - and to the world. You can get your copy here. |
PPPPS. Telenovela — still great! |
We're also very proud to be the first publisher to have the Books By People stamp - and it feels very fitting that it should be on Telenovela; a book about the fight against authoritarianism and all the associated nonsense. |
The usual reminder that we’ve produced an ebook edition of The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford. If you haven’t read it, now is your chance. Ford’s novel is superb; a shocking and constantly surprising tale of marital strife, sexual intrigue, deep deception, fathomless mystery and tragic death. It’s wrong-footing, deceptive, brilliantly plotted … and a masterpiece. One of the finest novels of the twentieth century. |
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Our edition features a new introduction by Sam Jordison (that’s me!). It details Ford Madox Ford's turbulent, fascinating life, explores his place in posterity, recounts his many loves and frequent feuds, and explains why he was such an unreliable narrator of his own life story.
The introduction also includes a critical commentary on The Good Soldier itself. It discuses its influence, investigates the many narrative tricks, conceits and deceits employed by Ford and makes the case for why this book should be recognised as one of the greatest stories ever told.
It costs just £1.89.
It’s available in our online shop, Apple, all good ebook stores and also the bad one.
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PPPPPPPPS You can find us on Bluesky if you’re keen for more book talk. |
PPPPPPPPPS Thanks for reading all the way down here. I’ve been enjoying the sentimental new Paul McCartney song Days We Left Behind. Have you heard of him? |
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