The nation’s essential annual guide to the short story returns for its sixteenth year, once again selecting the very best new fiction from Britain’s finest contemporary writers.

Ranging across genre, theme and style, Best British Short Stories 2026 presents a dazzling array of talent – from established names to emerging voices – as published in literary magazines, anthologies, collections, and online publications during the previous calendar year. Among this year’s selection is a genuine literary discovery: a story by Graham Greene, ‘Reading at Night’, unpublished until its appearance in The Strand and reprinted here alongside the very best of today’s writers.

Whether you’re a seasoned reader of the form or a curious newcomer, this acclaimed anthology delivers wit, imagination, drama and craft in concentrated, unforgettable doses. With its finger firmly on the pulse of modern British storytelling, the series continues to celebrate the energy and diversity of the short story.

Edited by Nicholas Royle, Best British Short Stories has become an indispensable resource for readers, students and writers alike – an annual landmark in the UK literary calendar.

Featuring: E. Abdeni-Holman, Jenn Ashworth, Lee Ashworth, David Bevan, Graham Greene, Vicky Grut, Livi Michael, Graham Mort, Annemarie Neary, Yoel Noorali, Richard Phoenix, Ray Robinson, David Rudkin, Sara Sherwood, Karen Stevens, Lucy Thynne, Charlotte Tierney, Tom Vowler, Will Wiles and Kieran Wyatt.