Mini-Sagas: From the Daily Telegraph Competition 2001 — Brian W. Aldiss

Brevity is the soul of wit â€" and a mini-saga is the soul of brevity. A story of just fifty words, with a beginning, a middle and an end. Not just that, but a story that instantly captivates the reader with dreams and disasters, fantasies and fears, loves and hates, humour, morality, immorality, the everyday and the extraordinary. Included in the anthology are the best mini-sagas from the latest competition, chosen from the thousands received from all round the world. With them are specially commissioned tales from celebrity writers Brian Aldiss, Rachel Cusk, John Hegley, John Lanchester, Blake Morrison, Carol Shields and Helen Simpson, as well as singer Ray Davies and David Lammy MP. Witty, inventive, provocative and tantalizing, the mini-sagas are designed to tease and entertain reader and writer alike. They succeed brilliantly. Judged by Brian Aldiss, Quentin Blake, Christopher Howse, Joanna Lumley and Blake Morrison.