Scratch Books

Scratch Books

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A small press dedicated to the short story. Claustrophiles…

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Scratch Books
@scratchbooks.bsky.social

Out this Thursday! The phenomenal, haunting BLESSINGS by Caroline Albertine Minor! ‘Beautiful, subtle, atmospheric; devastating and precise, yet so tender and generous, too.' Harriet Armstrong Preorder it here to arrive on launch date: www.scratch-books.co.uk/product-page...

scratch-books.co.ukBlessings | Scratch Books‘Are you Anne-Sophie’s mum?’  ‘Yes, I am,’ she said. ‘Are you sad about it?’ ‘Yes.’   A sequence of seven haunting and gripping stories from the winner of the Danish Fiction Writers Prize.   Palpable and astonishing, Caroline Albertine Minor depicts lives as they piece back their sense of self, family, love, future – accruing and blending to form something unnameably greater.   Acclaim for Blessings  'Beautiful, subtle, atmospheric; devastating and precise, yet so tender and generous, too. Minor finds pristine, humane, elegant, often hopeful and surprising ways to speak about grief, love and loss.' Harriet Armstrong, author of To Rest Our Minds and Bodies   'In this collection of stories the lives of mothers and daughters are sketched with piercing attention, yet the mysteries at the centre of each character’s desires, losses and trespasses retain their depth at every turn. The effect is as chilling as it is expansive. There is not a word out of place.' Hannah Regel, author of Last Sane Woman   Seven stories that resemble life itself, each so pulsating with a vivacity of its own that they create connections with the lives of the other stories through its use of a rich, nuanced style that is both clinically clear and marvellously suggestive. Minor’s literary imagery is in a class of its own. She succeeds in depicting all this in her elegant, passionate, and unusually beautiful prose. Blessings has the potential to be one of the foremost works of Danish short prose in recent decades. The Nordic Co-operation   It can be difficult to explain what it is about Blessings that makes its short stories so good. Scene by scene and sentence by sentence, Caroline Albertine Minor writes with impressive certainty, but above all she writes completely unobtrusively and effortlessly. The Information     Blessings is a magnificent depiction of grief. In this telling, what hurts the most is what remains.’ Litteraturmagasinet Standart   ‘Caroline Albertine Minor writes with warmth and wisdom about the aimlessness of life.’ Politiken   ‘Caroline Albertine Minor’s marvellous short stories explore what happens when human relationships are stretched to breaking point.’ Weekendavisen   ‘Minor has produced something odd, in the best way—something that creeps in and makes this collection of short stories stand out from the crowd.’ Dagens Nyheter   ‘The 2018 P.O. Enquist Prize goes to Caroline Albertine Minor, for her extraordinarily precise dissection of her main characters’ complex emotions and relationships in this series of elegant and moving stories. In Blessings, grief and loss are explored as part of everyday life. The existential weight of the stories is masterfully counterbalanced by stylistic lightness and assurance. In this her second book, Minor shows herself to be a writer of international stature.’ Jury statement for the P.O. Enquist Prize. Caroline Albertine Minor has been nominated for the prestigious Nordic Council Literature Prize for Blessings (Velsignelser). She has won the P.O Enquist Prize 2018 as well as the Danish Fiction Writers Prize, the Michael Strunge Prize 2017 and the Special Award of the Danish Arts Foundation.  Caroline Waight has been a finalist for the 2023 PEN Translation Award and received a special commendation from the 2023 Warwick Prize for Women in Translation.
Scratch Books
@scratchbooks.bsky.social

Out today! “These are deft, striking, immaculately precise and emotionally devastating stories. The recurring characters, tilting perspectives and ceaseless outward ripples of trauma give a haunting sense of continuance. I will be thinking about them for a long time.” Lucy Caldwell

Scratch Books@scratchbooks.bsky.social

Out this Thursday! The phenomenal, haunting BLESSINGS by Caroline Albertine Minor! ‘Beautiful, subtle, atmospheric; devastating and precise, yet so tender and generous, too.' Harriet Armstrong Preorder it here to arrive on launch date: www.scratch-books.co.uk/product-page...

scratch-books.co.ukBlessings | Scratch Books‘Are you Anne-Sophie’s mum?’  ‘Yes, I am,’ she said. ‘Are you sad about it?’ ‘Yes.’   A sequence of seven haunting and gripping stories from the winner of the Danish Fiction Writers Prize.   Palpable and astonishing, Caroline Albertine Minor depicts lives as they piece back their sense of self, family, love, future – accruing and blending to form something unnameably greater.   Acclaim for Blessings  'Beautiful, subtle, atmospheric; devastating and precise, yet so tender and generous, too. Minor finds pristine, humane, elegant, often hopeful and surprising ways to speak about grief, love and loss.' Harriet Armstrong, author of To Rest Our Minds and Bodies   'In this collection of stories the lives of mothers and daughters are sketched with piercing attention, yet the mysteries at the centre of each character’s desires, losses and trespasses retain their depth at every turn. The effect is as chilling as it is expansive. There is not a word out of place.' Hannah Regel, author of Last Sane Woman   Seven stories that resemble life itself, each so pulsating with a vivacity of its own that they create connections with the lives of the other stories through its use of a rich, nuanced style that is both clinically clear and marvellously suggestive. Minor’s literary imagery is in a class of its own. She succeeds in depicting all this in her elegant, passionate, and unusually beautiful prose. Blessings has the potential to be one of the foremost works of Danish short prose in recent decades. The Nordic Co-operation   It can be difficult to explain what it is about Blessings that makes its short stories so good. Scene by scene and sentence by sentence, Caroline Albertine Minor writes with impressive certainty, but above all she writes completely unobtrusively and effortlessly. The Information     Blessings is a magnificent depiction of grief. In this telling, what hurts the most is what remains.’ Litteraturmagasinet Standart   ‘Caroline Albertine Minor writes with warmth and wisdom about the aimlessness of life.’ Politiken   ‘Caroline Albertine Minor’s marvellous short stories explore what happens when human relationships are stretched to breaking point.’ Weekendavisen   ‘Minor has produced something odd, in the best way—something that creeps in and makes this collection of short stories stand out from the crowd.’ Dagens Nyheter   ‘The 2018 P.O. Enquist Prize goes to Caroline Albertine Minor, for her extraordinarily precise dissection of her main characters’ complex emotions and relationships in this series of elegant and moving stories. In Blessings, grief and loss are explored as part of everyday life. The existential weight of the stories is masterfully counterbalanced by stylistic lightness and assurance. In this her second book, Minor shows herself to be a writer of international stature.’ Jury statement for the P.O. Enquist Prize. Caroline Albertine Minor has been nominated for the prestigious Nordic Council Literature Prize for Blessings (Velsignelser). She has won the P.O Enquist Prize 2018 as well as the Danish Fiction Writers Prize, the Michael Strunge Prize 2017 and the Special Award of the Danish Arts Foundation.  Caroline Waight has been a finalist for the 2023 PEN Translation Award and received a special commendation from the 2023 Warwick Prize for Women in Translation.
Scratch Books
@scratchbooks.bsky.social

Today’s the last day to pre order “beautiful and tender” Blessings! Get it here to land with you on launch date…

Scratch Books@scratchbooks.bsky.social

Out this Thursday! The phenomenal, haunting BLESSINGS by Caroline Albertine Minor! ‘Beautiful, subtle, atmospheric; devastating and precise, yet so tender and generous, too.' Harriet Armstrong Preorder it here to arrive on launch date: www.scratch-books.co.uk/product-page...

scratch-books.co.ukBlessings | Scratch Books‘Are you Anne-Sophie’s mum?’  ‘Yes, I am,’ she said. ‘Are you sad about it?’ ‘Yes.’   A sequence of seven haunting and gripping stories from the winner of the Danish Fiction Writers Prize.   Palpable and astonishing, Caroline Albertine Minor depicts lives as they piece back their sense of self, family, love, future – accruing and blending to form something unnameably greater.   Acclaim for Blessings  'Beautiful, subtle, atmospheric; devastating and precise, yet so tender and generous, too. Minor finds pristine, humane, elegant, often hopeful and surprising ways to speak about grief, love and loss.' Harriet Armstrong, author of To Rest Our Minds and Bodies   'In this collection of stories the lives of mothers and daughters are sketched with piercing attention, yet the mysteries at the centre of each character’s desires, losses and trespasses retain their depth at every turn. The effect is as chilling as it is expansive. There is not a word out of place.' Hannah Regel, author of Last Sane Woman   Seven stories that resemble life itself, each so pulsating with a vivacity of its own that they create connections with the lives of the other stories through its use of a rich, nuanced style that is both clinically clear and marvellously suggestive. Minor’s literary imagery is in a class of its own. She succeeds in depicting all this in her elegant, passionate, and unusually beautiful prose. Blessings has the potential to be one of the foremost works of Danish short prose in recent decades. The Nordic Co-operation   It can be difficult to explain what it is about Blessings that makes its short stories so good. Scene by scene and sentence by sentence, Caroline Albertine Minor writes with impressive certainty, but above all she writes completely unobtrusively and effortlessly. The Information     Blessings is a magnificent depiction of grief. In this telling, what hurts the most is what remains.’ Litteraturmagasinet Standart   ‘Caroline Albertine Minor writes with warmth and wisdom about the aimlessness of life.’ Politiken   ‘Caroline Albertine Minor’s marvellous short stories explore what happens when human relationships are stretched to breaking point.’ Weekendavisen   ‘Minor has produced something odd, in the best way—something that creeps in and makes this collection of short stories stand out from the crowd.’ Dagens Nyheter   ‘The 2018 P.O. Enquist Prize goes to Caroline Albertine Minor, for her extraordinarily precise dissection of her main characters’ complex emotions and relationships in this series of elegant and moving stories. In Blessings, grief and loss are explored as part of everyday life. The existential weight of the stories is masterfully counterbalanced by stylistic lightness and assurance. In this her second book, Minor shows herself to be a writer of international stature.’ Jury statement for the P.O. Enquist Prize. Caroline Albertine Minor has been nominated for the prestigious Nordic Council Literature Prize for Blessings (Velsignelser). She has won the P.O Enquist Prize 2018 as well as the Danish Fiction Writers Prize, the Michael Strunge Prize 2017 and the Special Award of the Danish Arts Foundation.  Caroline Waight has been a finalist for the 2023 PEN Translation Award and received a special commendation from the 2023 Warwick Prize for Women in Translation.
Scratch Books
@scratchbooks.bsky.social

Improve your writing with editorial feedback from Scratch Books publisher, Tom Conaghan.   Sign up for Scratch Editorial to receive notes and suggestions on your sentences, as well as feedback on the overall structure of your work.  More info here: www.scratch-books.co.uk/product-page...

scratch-books.co.ukScratch Editorial | Scratch BooksImprove your writing with editorial feedback from Scratch Books publisher, Tom Conaghan. Sign up for Scratch Editorial to receive notes and suggestions on your sentences, as well as feedback on the ov...

Scratch Books reposted

Victoria Stewart
@verbivorial.bsky.social

Really love this format - short stories accompanied by interviews with the authors about how they write @scratchbooks.bsky.social

Scratch Books@scratchbooks.bsky.social

Announcing Magic & Mechanics! Out on 12th March - featuring [prepare yourself] George Saunders, Claire-Louise Bennett, Colin Barrett, Mark Haddon, Camilla Grudova and Amber Medland! Preorder yours here: www.scratch-books.co.uk/product-page...

scratch-books.co.ukMagic & Mechanics | Scratch BooksFeaturing stories and interviews from:George SaundersClaire-Louise BennettMark HaddonCamilla GrudovaAmber MedlandColin BarrettSix of the best recent short stories, disassembled by their authors. Magic...
Scratch Books
@scratchbooks.bsky.social

Out today! Get yours in all good bookshops - or our online shop below…

Scratch Books@scratchbooks.bsky.social

Announcing Magic & Mechanics! Out on 12th March - featuring [prepare yourself] George Saunders, Claire-Louise Bennett, Colin Barrett, Mark Haddon, Camilla Grudova and Amber Medland! Preorder yours here: www.scratch-books.co.uk/product-page...

scratch-books.co.ukMagic & Mechanics | Scratch BooksFeaturing stories and interviews from:George SaundersClaire-Louise BennettMark HaddonCamilla GrudovaAmber MedlandColin BarrettSix of the best recent short stories, disassembled by their authors. Magic...
Scratch Books
@scratchbooks.bsky.social

Announcing Magic & Mechanics! Out on 12th March - featuring [prepare yourself] George Saunders, Claire-Louise Bennett, Colin Barrett, Mark Haddon, Camilla Grudova and Amber Medland! Preorder yours here: www.scratch-books.co.uk/product-page...

scratch-books.co.ukMagic & Mechanics | Scratch BooksFeaturing stories and interviews from:George SaundersClaire-Louise BennettMark HaddonCamilla GrudovaAmber MedlandColin BarrettSix of the best recent short stories, disassembled by their authors. Magic...

Scratch Books reposted

John Self
@john-self.bsky.social

“You know, after humans are gone, all our last traces are going to be, like, twenty-six inches of glittery stuff at the bottom of the sea. "All of human history, every century, every war, every landfill, just a little glitter, then a scatter, then gone.”

Wendy Erskine@wednesdayerskin.bsky.social

Yeah for sure @elfodongo.bsky.social is a good pal of mine. But/And his collection Saints is terrific. Check out this @john-self.bsky.social review. @scratchbooks.bsky.social thecritic.co.uk/issues/novem...

thecritic.co.ukFrom Celtic fringe to Bible belt | John Self | The Critic MagazineWhen is a short story not a short story? Last month, one chapter of a novel won the BBC National Short Story Award, as a stand-alone work of fiction

Scratch Books reposted

Wendy Erskine
@wednesdayerskin.bsky.social

Yeah for sure @elfodongo.bsky.social is a good pal of mine. But/And his collection Saints is terrific. Check out this @john-self.bsky.social review. @scratchbooks.bsky.social thecritic.co.uk/issues/novem...

thecritic.co.ukFrom Celtic fringe to Bible belt | John Self | The Critic MagazineWhen is a short story not a short story? Last month, one chapter of a novel won the BBC National Short Story Award, as a stand-alone work of fiction
Scratch Books
@scratchbooks.bsky.social

Read this brilliant interview here!

The London Magazine@thelondonmagazine.bsky.social

'Sometimes I wish I was pigeonholed more as an Irish writer, because then I’d make more money…' Joseph Williams speaks to Tim MacGabhann about his new book, Saints (@scratchbooks.bsky.social). Read the interview here: thelondonmagazine.org/interview-ti...

thelondonmagazine.orgInterview | Tim MacGabhann on Short Stories and the Anti-Plot Sentence - The London MagazineJoseph Williams speaks to Tim MacGabhann about short stories, form, the anti-plot sentence and his new book, Saints.

Scratch Books reposted

Yvonne Watterson
@yvonnewritesbskyso.bsky.social

As an Irish writer living near Guadalajara, Mexico, I'm extra excited about this collection of stories coming out on Thursday Oct. 23.

Scratch Books@scratchbooks.bsky.social

New title: Saints by Tim MacGabhann! Nine breathtaking tales shot through with the hallowed light of the miraculous, written in MacGabhann’s pyrotechnic exhilarating prose. Out 23rd October! Pre-order here: www.scratch-books.co.uk/product-page...

scratch-books.co.ukSaints | Scratch BooksThe debut collection of short stories from celebrated crime writer Tim MacGabhann, coming out on 23rd October.Nine breathtaking, gripping and oddly sublime tales of narcos, cops and addicts in modern-...
Scratch Books
@scratchbooks.bsky.social

This will be ace! Catch us all at Pearse st on 29th Nov!

Tim Groenland@groenbot.bsky.social

The inaugural Dublin Small Press Fair is happening at the end of November! 30+ presses, events, readings, and more. Organised by me and @eireannmor.bsky.social. More information coming very soon - follow @dublinsmpressfair.bsky.social for updates

Scratch Books
@scratchbooks.bsky.social

This superb collection is out in just three weeks! Preorder your copy here! www.scratch-books.co.uk/product-page...

scratch-books.co.ukSaints | Scratch BooksThe debut collection of short stories from celebrated crime writer Tim MacGabhann, coming out on 23rd October.Nine breathtaking, gripping and oddly sublime tales of narcos, cops and addicts in modern-...
Scratch Books@scratchbooks.bsky.social

New title: Saints by Tim MacGabhann! Nine breathtaking tales shot through with the hallowed light of the miraculous, written in MacGabhann’s pyrotechnic exhilarating prose. Out 23rd October! Pre-order here: www.scratch-books.co.uk/product-page...

scratch-books.co.ukSaints | Scratch BooksThe debut collection of short stories from celebrated crime writer Tim MacGabhann, coming out on 23rd October.Nine breathtaking, gripping and oddly sublime tales of narcos, cops and addicts in modern-...
Scratch Books
@scratchbooks.bsky.social

‘Tim MacGabhann works from an imaginative world that does not rest. A work of sublime devotion to a place and a moment that has been rendered in perfect detail. It’s a sweet and violent magic, and I remain gladly under its spell.’ Ben Pester

Scratch Books reposted

Ian Critchley
@iancritchley.bsky.social

I've signed up to this and can't wait

Scratch Books@scratchbooks.bsky.social

Just a couple of spaces available before this Masterclass starts in September… www.scratch-books.co.uk/product-page...

scratch-books.co.ukScratch Masters with Camilla Grudova | Scratch BooksJoin Camilla Grudova for this eight-week online Writing Masterclass...Writing the Five Senses, the Imaginative and SurrealIn this online course, you will learn how to incorporate taste, sight, smell a...