England and Other Stories
| Company type | Anthology |
|---|---|
| Industry | Literature |
| Founded | 2014 |
| Founder | Graham Swift |
| Products | Short story collection |
England and Other Stories is a 2014 anthology featuring 25 short narratives penned by author Graham Swift.
Background
Swift characterized this collection as portraying "fragments of various Englands," emphasizing the nation's diversity and shifting sense of self. He highlighted his intimate bond with England while simultaneously viewing it as "an unfamiliar place," thereby exploring themes related to national identity.
Stories
- Going Up in the World – Charlie Yates, once a high-rise builder and now a window cleaner in London Docklands, spends time jogging and golfing with a companion.
- Wonders Will Never Cease – The narrator attends the wedding of his childhood friend Aaron and Aaron’s athlete spouse Wanda in Birmingham.
- People are Life – Vangel, a Greek-Cypriot barber, finds it difficult to connect while serving a customer in mourning.
- Haematology – Set soon after the execution of Charles I, physician William Harvey writes to his cousin amidst political unrest.
- Remember This – Married couple Lisa and Nick draft their will; Nick composes a love letter he never shares before they eventually separate.
- The Best Days – At their former headmaster’s funeral, Andy and Sean confront unresolved issues involving another pupil’s family.
- Half a Loaf – A widowed osteopath enters into a complex relationship with Tanya, who is already involved with someone else.
- Saving Grace – Cardiologist Dr Shah’s family history intertwines British and Indian experiences during wartime.
- Tragedy, Tragedy – Conversations at work debate the media’s use of the term ‘tragedy’ following the death of a colleague.
- As Much Love as Possible – Alan forgets to arrange a taxi for his wife Sue; her friend Bill drives her home, leading to an uncertain encounter.
- Yorkshire – Daisy and Larry confront family trauma after their daughter discloses abuse; Larry considers involving the police.
- Holly and Polly – Two clinical embryologists manage both their professional duties and their romantic relationship.
- Keys – After dropping off his wife, John is locked out and ends up spending the night with their cleaner Olga.
- Lawrence of Arabia – A widow reflects on the passing of Peter O'Toole, renowned for his role as Lawrence of Arabia.
- Ajax – As a child, the narrator assists his eccentric neighbor Mr Wilkinson in clearing a drain, sparking an interest in Greek myths.
- Was She the Only One – Returning from WWI shell shock, a soldier suspects his wife of unfaithfulness.
- Knife – Daniel considers carrying a knife to assert himself within a gang.
- Mrs Kaminski – A doctor faces communication challenges while treating Mrs Kaminski after her fall.
- Dog – A 56-year-old man steps in when a dog attacks a child in the park.
- Fusilli – Following the loss of his son Doug in Afghanistan, a father chooses not to celebrate Christmas.
- I Live Alone – Lawyer David Eliot deals with his wife’s drowning and confronts his own terminal illness diagnosis.
- Articles of War – In 1805, a young officer prepares to leave Plymouth aboard HMS Temeraire to engage in war against France.
- Saint Peter – A man recalls stories about Saint Peter shared by his late vicar father.
- First on the Scene – After his wife’s death, Parkinson’s sufferer Terry continues solitary countryside walks and discovers a young woman’s body.
- England – An Afro-Caribbean comedian from Dewsbury is rescued by coastguards after his car becomes stuck while traveling to a gig in Ilfracombe.
Reception
Erica Wagner, writing for the New Statesman, reflects on the book’s reminder of our shared presence in this moment, regardless of origin. She emphasizes that it is through our deeds and storytelling that we shape our identities. Wagner proposes that David Cameron might find valuable perspectives on British values within Swift’s concise and thought-provoking narratives, which offer the nuanced understanding that quality fiction uniquely delivers.
Lucy Scholes, in The Observer, notes that although the individual stories may initially appear unrelated, they collectively form a unified narrative. Yet, she points out Swift’s apparent ambivalence about the interconnectedness of the lives portrayed. Scholes draws attention to a particularly moving episode involving a solitary widower who confronts a corpse and grapples with how to react.
Valerie Martin, contributing to The New York Times, commends Swift’s meticulous use of language as a defining marker of English identity. She observes how characters from diverse social strata trace the lineage of words, enriching the text with cultural and linguistic layers reminiscent of an English education.
Matthew Dennison’s review in The Spectator characterizes Swift’s characters as everyday people who possess remarkable insight or find themselves in extraordinary circumstances. Dennison appreciates how Swift avoids clichés and condescension, instead portraying his characters with nuanced moral depth.
In The Guardian, M John Harrison describes the collection as "sharp" and "beautiful," noting that the stories are brief yet impactful. Some blend humor with moments of crisis, while others evoke a sense of layered time periods akin to mid-20th-century narrative styles. Despite a few less compelling pieces, Harrison praises Swift’s skillful storytelling and subtle emotional reasoning that engage readers throughout each succinct tale.