Fiction

Friends Wanted for Lonely Soldiers

The first instalment in a new fiction series, wherein we've asked five authors to write a short story inspired by World War I. Commissioned in partnership with the Globe and Mail.

Illustrations by Sophia Foster-Dimino
Bright Lights, Dark Spirits

All cities have spirits, and all spirits have an animal familiar. A brief history of the bear of Berlin, the crow of Tokyo, and the blind white alligator king of New York City.

Paintings of Kisses at the Rio Art Fair
Documentation

A couple's kisses, from first to last, are catalogued in this short story from Shelly Oria's upcoming collection New York 1, Tel Aviv 0.

The Tub Is Just the Safest Place

It was the only sin that Julie had ever prearranged in her entire life.

Three Fates

Makes me feel better about the world, knowing it was always thus.

Wagers I've Lost

Life as an NFL player is a series of risks. Really had a good feeling about these bets, though.

L’Étranger

Life with a disagreeable new flatmate and some unwanted visitors. An excerpt from the new short story collection Wallflowers.

A Little Girl Like You

From the ongoing series Tabloid Fiction—in which an author chooses from the trashiest, most lurid, or just bizarre stories of the moment and writes a short story inspired by same.

|| Illustration by Lola Landekic
Where It Is I Come to Pray

From the ongoing series Tabloid Fiction—in which an author chooses from the trashiest, most lurid, or just bizarre stories of the moment and writes a short story inspired by same.

||Pelé at the 1970 World Cup.
The Feint

An excerpt from The Feint, originally published in Brazil as O Drible. An ailing 80-year-old sports columnist tries to build bridges with his estranged son, while remembering the golden age of Brazilian football. Translated by Lisa Shaw.