Alan Beard's collection of short stories evoke a disturbing world of supressed passion and unpredictable violence.
A stunning collection of stories about sex, drugs and cities.
Winner of the Tom Gallon award, regular contributor to Radio Four, and published across the spectrum of story magazines and antholigies, Alan Beard has long been recognised as a master of the modern short story.
By turns comic and unsettling, these stories are framed by the complex urban landscapes and deal with the everyday reality of modern living. 'Here is life that goes on in today's factories, pubs and council flats, observed with humor...
They are by turns comic, tender and unsettling.
The setting is a recognizable one of music, soccer, stolen sex and cheap drugs.
The characters struggle with their conflicting desires and try to come to terms with the loss of a job, of a marriage, of illusions.
Framed by the complex urban landscapes of the West Midlands UK, these stories are unforgettable snapshots of damaged and resilient lives that could happen anywhere in the world.
"Superb... His approach combines an often startling desire for stylistic experimentation with an honest commitment to the issues of the day." - Time Out
"A writer of real talent and originality" - Alan Ross, London Magazine
"Alan Beard's stories are so strong because they are full of a potent understatement. He uses deliberately downbeat, low-key effects to get at the pathos of ordinary but extraordinary lives. Wistfulness, nostalgia, sadness and comedy blend to give his stories that true cutting edge." - John Murray, Panurge
"Beard's stories avoid cartoon terrors and verbal trickery and, instead, rely for their effects on honest observation and sharp declarative sentences... . He achieves a startling poignancy" - Times Literary Supplement
"A truly fine collection" - The Times
Genre: General Fiction
A stunning collection of stories about sex, drugs and cities.
Winner of the Tom Gallon award, regular contributor to Radio Four, and published across the spectrum of story magazines and antholigies, Alan Beard has long been recognised as a master of the modern short story.
By turns comic and unsettling, these stories are framed by the complex urban landscapes and deal with the everyday reality of modern living. 'Here is life that goes on in today's factories, pubs and council flats, observed with humor...
They are by turns comic, tender and unsettling.
The setting is a recognizable one of music, soccer, stolen sex and cheap drugs.
The characters struggle with their conflicting desires and try to come to terms with the loss of a job, of a marriage, of illusions.
Framed by the complex urban landscapes of the West Midlands UK, these stories are unforgettable snapshots of damaged and resilient lives that could happen anywhere in the world.
"Superb... His approach combines an often startling desire for stylistic experimentation with an honest commitment to the issues of the day." - Time Out
"A writer of real talent and originality" - Alan Ross, London Magazine
"Alan Beard's stories are so strong because they are full of a potent understatement. He uses deliberately downbeat, low-key effects to get at the pathos of ordinary but extraordinary lives. Wistfulness, nostalgia, sadness and comedy blend to give his stories that true cutting edge." - John Murray, Panurge
"Beard's stories avoid cartoon terrors and verbal trickery and, instead, rely for their effects on honest observation and sharp declarative sentences... . He achieves a startling poignancy" - Times Literary Supplement
"A truly fine collection" - The Times
Genre: General Fiction
Used availability for Alan Beard's Taking Doreen Out of the Sky