David Constantine wins BBC National Short Story Award

CONGRATULATIONS, DAVID!

We're delighted to learn this morning that dear Reader friend, and regular contributor to The Reader magazine, David Constantine has won the BBC National Short Story Award 2010 for his story 'Tea at the Midland'.

Constantine said his win was "deeply satisfying. I don't think I write in a way that's realistic, naturalistic, streetwise, and modern, so it's a confirmation of what I do – and I couldn't do it any other way." He also called the award "an immense boost" to his publisher, Comma Press, which had sought him out specifically because they wanted to publish short stories, a form often neglected by publishers. (From an article published in the Guardian.)

You can read some of David Constantine's rich, contemplative poetry in the current issue of The Reader, and more of his work - short fiction, poems and essays - in the back issues too.