Reviews

Of work published under the name Arthur Ker

Sushirexia: 32 stories about hunger

Freight RRP £9.95, 240pp

Reviewed in Gutter magazine

‘Though all (stories) have merits worthy of mention, there are some, at least for this reviewer, that stand out... The hunger for a job in An Act of Desperation by Arthur Ker sees the protagonist resort to extremes in the hope of academic promotion, provoking both empathy and dismay.’

Gutter 04: Editorial

‘Gutter welcomes the addition of creative non-fiction to the genres of writing we publish. Fiction and poetry will always remain our priority but we’re keen to give writers of all kinds the chance to try their hand. To kick things off, we invited Arthur Ker, whose story ‘All in the Mind’ appeared in Gutter 02, to provide a specially commissioned piece, ‘Tracking Down the Skadocks’, his account of a visit to the former East Germany to trace relatives previously lost behind the Berlin Wall. Like the best fiction, it’s intriguing, humane, moving and feels wholly authentic.’

Cencrastus Issue 78: Editorial

‘We have two fine short stories, one from Scotland (Arthur Ker’s “Bad News”) and one from Ireland (Edna Kiel’s “The Stranger”).’

Personal commendation from Ali Smith: Author and Macallan Prize Judge

‘I liked your short story ‘Lorna’, the one entered for the Macallan prize, tremendously. In fact it was my top equal favourite. I wanted to write and tell you how much I had admired it as a piece.’