Once Upon a Time There Was a Traveller

by Kate Pullinger (Editor)

A collection of original and dazzling short stories from the Asham Award—a prize for stories by women, including specially commissioned stories from Ali Smith and Sara Wheeler Here are stories of people who journey far and those who get as far as their dreams, of strange things in suitcases and roads that should not have been taken, of exotic cities and shabby seaside towns, of leaving lovers to hit the open road, and of the humor that comes with getting lost abroad. Some are about running away, and some about coming home. With new stories from Helen Dunmore and Susie Boyt and a tale by Angela Carter, this is a book to tuck in your backpack, your case, or your carry-on, or to enjoy deep in your armchair. You are about to go on a wonderful journey. The Sussex home of Virginia Woolf, Asham House, has been the source and support of this celebrated prize since 1995. This year's collection, with the theme of "journey," was judged by Helen Dunmore (Ingo), Sara Wheeler (Too Close to the Sun), and Virago's Lennie Goodings.

Genres: Short Stories, Travel, Fiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2013

About the author

Kate Pullinger is an award-winning writer of novels, short stories and digital works. Her most recent book is FOREST GREEN, out in Canada in August 2020. She is Professor of Creative Writing and Digital Media at Bath Spa University.

Born in Cranbrook, British Columbia, Kate dropped out of McGill University after a year and a half of not studying philosophy and literature. She then spent a year working in a copper mine in the Yukon where she crushed rocks and saved money. She spent that money travelling and ended up in London, England, where she lives with her husband and two children.

Kate’s other books include The Mistress of Nothing, winner of the Governor General’s Literary Award for Fiction 2009, Landing Gear, A Little Stranger and The Last Time I Saw Jane, as well as the ghost tale, Weird Sister, and the erotic feminist vampire novel Where Does Kissing End? These four titles have recently been re-released in new ebook editions.

Kate’s digital works include Inanimate Alice (www.inanimatealice.com), an episodic online multimedia novel and Flight Paths: A Networked Novel (www.flightpaths.net)

You can find out more about Kate and her work at www.katepullinger.com

Reviews

[Kristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This anthology felt like a collection of mediocre work from extremely talented writers. While the stories featured did transport the reader to various exotic locales, the quality of the writing was haphazard and murky. Even the four award-winning tales were good but not particularly memorable. The one story that was truly excellent was the opening tale, “Departure Time” by Tessa Green.

[Bloom · Rating 3 out of 5]

sooo... this wasn't as good as I expected. Maybe I was the one who looked for too much when I read the blurb behind (never trust blurbs, remember??) Anyway, there are a few ones that I find particularly interesting, namely stories by Penelope MacDonald(A Sense of Perspective), Emily Russell(Hywl), Dolores Pinto(Where Life Takes You) and Susie Boyt(Documentary at Clareville Lodge). And not to forget Angela Carter! After reading the short extract of The Magic Toyshop, I'm tempted to buy the original book(I've always wanted to read The Bloody Chambers anyway...) This book took me pretty long to get through but all in all, it was okay.

[Sydney More · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent collection of travel stories, although the theme of 'travel' was tenuous for some. There were a few I really enjoyed ('Journey to the Brother's Farm', by Pippa Gough; 'The Elephant in the Suitcase', by Deepa Anappara; 'Leaving Her', by Dianna Swennes Smith; 'Level and Nearly Unaffected', by Carol Rowntree Jones), but the rest didn't strike a strong chord with me. The final story, which was really an excerpt from Angela Carter's 'The Magic Toyshop', wasn't enough of an story on it's own for my tastes, and I was left feeling irritated by the cliffhanger.

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Turns out I don't like short stories, enjoyed a couple but felt there was more to tell. Felt like reading excerpts of a longer story. Just not my cup of tea.