BBC International Short Story Award 2012

Absence and disappearance provide recurring themes in these 10 stories assembled from the BBC International Short Story Award competition: the abandonment of family members, estranged wives and errant husbands, the loss of a childhood friend and computer games mentor, and the convenient vanishing of whatever we deem disposable. Written by English-speaking writers from around the world--including Australia, the Balkans, Ireland, North America, and South Africa--this compilation shows the extraordinary diversity and richness of the short story as a truly global form while also honoring the 2012 London Olympics