The Separate Heart
By (Author) Simon Robson
Vintage Publishing
Vintage
15th June 2008
United Kingdom
General
Fiction
Modern and contemporary fiction: general and literary
823.92
Runner-up for Edge Hill Prize for the Short Story 2008
Paperback
352
Width 129mm, Height 198mm, Spine 22mm
235g
'A piercing book of stories from a remarkable new writer' - Simon Callow, Observer If there is a thread running through Simon Robson's brilliant collection of stories it is the notion of separateness - of adults from each other, of children from adult knowledge, of adult consciousness from the vividness of childhood. His protagonists are often unlikely - a cat, a man, met in a bar, who drove a chariot in Ben Hur; a girl who gets up very early - but the stories are wise, funny, beautifully observed and somehow utterly true.
This accomplished debut offers a luxurious reading experience. The common theme is that of separation, of "reconciling opposites", yet each tale is strikingly different: all are equally memorable. Affecting, graceful, recalling the dispassionate precision of Elizabeth Bowen, this is a timeless collection -- Catherine Taylor * Guardian *
A terrific debut... If Robson is dropping an immaculate collection on us we should simply be grateful, for his style is witty and confident, while his robust and engaging tales are mapped out with perspicacity, exuberance and deftly summoned delicacy of feeling... dip into it for a refreshing draught of how punchy and intoxicating a well-crafted tale can be * Independent on Sunday *
Each of these stories is as substantial as a novel boiled down to a bouillon cube, rich in details * The Times *
Sharp and funny...edged with melancholy...an interesting and accomplished debut * Sunday Telegraph *
Simon Robson was born in 1966. He is the author of Catch. He is also well known as an actor and playwright.