Book Jacket

 

rank 2081
word count 30181
date submitted 30.06.2009
date updated 01.07.2009
genres: Literary Fiction
classification: adult
complete

Brief Objects of Beauty and Despair

Year Zero Writers

The best contemporary fiction you'll find. Straight from the authors' keyboards.

 

Thirteen pieces by twelve ridiculously talented witers. And me.

Each story is Copyright 2009 to the named author. Each author asserts their moral right to be named as the author of their work.

A taster of what's to come, as we build up to our first books, published on September 1st.
Benny Platonov by Oli Johns
A refugee from the former East Germany believes he can save the homeless of Hong Kong. If only he didn’t have block.


Glimpses of a Floating World by Larry Harrison
Police corruption, heroin addiction, and an elegy to the lost underbelly of Sixties London


Songs form the Other Side of the Wall by Dan Holloway
A teenage girl growing up in Post-Communist Hungary faces a heartbreaking choice between past and future.

 
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tags

contemporary, literary

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27 comments

 

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katie78 wrote 477 days ago

i think you may want to re work your pitch."best" and "talented" are vague and don't really convey what the writing will be about. and, they're also pretty biased. i suppose every writer could say theirs is the best. your pitch should tell us what KIND of story you've got. as for quality, let the writing speak for itself.

heatherjacobs wrote 988 days ago

What a talented bunch the Year Zero writers are.
Congratulations on your collection.
Cheers,
Heather

T.L Tyson wrote 1001 days ago

thoguht this was an interesting collection. Have shelved this because I think people should read some of these.

T.L Tyson-Seeking Eleanor

Geveret wrote 1002 days ago

A brilliant collection--and still lamentably low on the chart! Happened to read "Glimpses" while the second movement of the Marcello oboe concerto was playing in the background. Unexpectedly effective.

Shelved with the hope that others will take notice and be inspired.

Cheers--
Gev

cara_ruegg wrote 1005 days ago

I loved ch 2 were they compare the bags under their eyes as "half moons" that was beautiful beautiful imagery.
over all i loved this and course ill back it.
-Cara (First, to dream of love)

Dania wrote 1033 days ago

I like the idea of this kind of collections, especially by a such talented writers. Different yet all of them powerful and poetic. My favorite was "trouble sleeping".
Shelved it a couple of weeks ago without commenting, shelving again.

Primrose Hill wrote 1036 days ago

Authonomers! No one does contemporary literary fiction like Year Zero Writers collective. Here, is the only place on this site where you will find a concentrated pool of the freshest literary talent.
Save yourselves some precious writing time and weeks of searching the site.
Several of the writers in Brief Objects Of Beauty and Despair have books on the site too.
Wade in. It's all there.

Elaina wrote 1047 days ago

Difficult to crit, because the voices are all different. However, intriguing and interesting and certainly worth a place on my shelf!

All the best
Elaina
Gathering of Rain

Andrew W. wrote 1048 days ago

Brief Objects of Beauty and Despair

Hi All, Just read Knowing Gupter Puncher, what a great and intriguing character study, you have a compelling voice here, plunging us straight into the unique and interesting world-view. This is brilliantly measured writing, it shows us, never tells, it offers intrigue in the form of small notes and additional information and it feels so real. Great stuff, shelved - Andrew W.

aomtg wrote 1049 days ago

Historical, factual, hard to tell but it does raise questions. Multiple minds work like a fist.

Paolito wrote 1050 days ago

Brief Objects of Beauty and Despair...

Aptly titled. I do so wish that this collection will find a publishing home. Moments of brilliance in each story.

Shelved,
Sheryl

S Richard Betterton wrote 1050 days ago

Sheer quality from 20 quality writers.

Evie B wrote 1050 days ago

Excellent stuff and an ingenious way of putting a number of very talented writers into one book. I've read a few chapters now and was simply engrossed in all of them. This will definitely be a seller! Good luck!

Janet S. Colley wrote 1051 days ago

Great stuff...backed it earlier but never left a comment.

I don't want to single out any one story, they were all remarkable.

Janet

GillyGilly wrote 1051 days ago

This is excellent. Second to the Bear. Shelved.

Ayrich wrote 1051 days ago

I love collections of stories. Shelved. Sorry to leave with such a short Crit but so many authors is a bit intimidating.

Jeffrey Miller wrote 1051 days ago

I read chapter 6 of Brief Objects of Beauty and Despair and really enjoyed it. If the others are as good I’ll be coming for for quite awhile.

Jeffrey Miller
The Binding Returned

Krista Darrach wrote 1052 days ago

What a great idea.
I read Chapter two - Trouble sleeping.
It was very well written (of course) but it was sad. I kinda got lost - the shower part - seemed like she was in the shower - but it was Os - she was in bed, was she thinking she was in shower? Hmm.
I liked it because it left the reader to their own imagination...didn't spell out what was wrong...
but one could assume...or rather guess.
Fabulous.
What a great idea to have so many authors on a page.
Shelved.
~Krista Darrach
-Riley's Gift (YA Novel)

vivalasbradleys wrote 1052 days ago

Quite interesting stuff.
Only quibble is the first paragraph of the second story -- POV confused me, at first I thought Os was the woman waking up.
Other than that, some good writing here. Makes me want to take up short story writing...though I'm not sure I have the necessary skills. You all, on the other hand, do.

Edie wrote 1052 days ago

What a great story! Goo9d plot, likeable characters. Can we swap reads? My book is Prides Crossing, a mystery and a family saga that goes back four generations. As soon as I hear from you I will begin reading in earnest. Thanks. Edie

P J wrote 1052 days ago

Now you've brought all my favourite writers into one place!!

Brilliant stuff.

Tricia

InternetG33k wrote 1052 days ago

Amazing group of beyond talented writers! I wish I could put it on my shelf 13 times, but one will have to suffice...

~Traci

Heikki Hietala wrote 1052 days ago

The one of the summerhouse is, well, almost transparent in its lack of substance in the main character.

bandini_skips wrote 1052 days ago

Not convinced about the first one, a bit amateur, but the rest of them were great.

Abu El Banat wrote 1052 days ago

How can I fail to shelve?

Shayne Parkinson wrote 1052 days ago

What a wonderful collection!

Shelved.

Heikki Hietala wrote 1052 days ago

Oh man, what a bunch of talent :D shelved!

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