Welcome to issue 111. We begin with Churail, a story by Pakistani and British writer, Kamila Shamsie. Here the legend of the churail features in the dynamics of a Pakistani family now living in England. A teenager learns of the legend from her older cousin, Zainab, and the interplay between the two is delightful.

Next up is Preservation by Andrew Cominelli (US) in which a man at work researching the historical background of an old colonial home comes slowly to confront a painful part of his past. It’s a touching piece, beautifully told.

And from England we have All We Got by Michael Bunn. Set in Barcelona, our protagonist meets a most unexpected American in a dive bar in the Raval. You get a good feel for the sights and smells of the barrio as you follow the encounter.

In Don’t!, a poignant piece of flash fiction by US writer, Josephine Sloyan, a suicidal young female recounts her struggle with a light touch that nicely plays with a hard topic.

We are also pleased to have an excerpt in translation, Floral Games (Juegos florales), from the recently released Spanish novel Horizonte tardío by Peruvian writer Ernesto Escobar Ulloa. In this piece, a boyhood confusion over his name, in addition to the name itself, forms the motif. If you read Spanish, be sure to look for the novel, which is garnering much praise.

Translating from the English to Spanish, we have Coches deportivos by Stephen G Eoannou which appeared in Issue 85 as Muscle Cars. En Coches deportivos una joven pareja vive al lado de unos chicos que aman los coches musculosos, la música alta y el alcohol; mientras que el marido de la joven pareja ama hacer pesas para mostrar sus propios músculos. Cuando su esposa lo empuja a hablar con los chicos sobre el alboroto, lo hace a regañadientes, abriendo la puerta a un encuentro intrigante y memorable.

I love these stories; they pull you along with fine prose and intrigue, pack a punch, and stay with you long after the reading.

In our picks from back issues— From Australia, we have The Examination by Ryan O’Neill and from the U.S., Playhouse by Bonnie Jo Campbell. Two super stories.

The quiz this issue is Harry Potter: Marauder’s Edition. Answer correctly and you’re in the running to win a 30-euro (or equivalent) gift certificate from Amazon. For answers to last issue’s quiz, Immigration Literature click here.

Our book review this issue is Guide Me Home by Attica Locke, the third cracking crime novel in the Highway 59 series.

Our next issue is due out around March 2025. To be notified when new issues are available, just ‘LIKE’ The Barcelona Review on Facebook (for the Spanish, LIKE Barcelona Review without the THE); or email us to subscribe (gratis, of course), though often our bulk email is blocked from servers so we cannot guarantee a notification.

Jill Adams, editor
Michael Garry Smout, tech and design
assistant editors: Bergita Bugarija and Diggory Dunn

Readers: Bergita Bugarija, Diggory Dunn, Jamie Kahn, Hallie Pritts, Milena Nigam, Sam Simon and Elizabeth Wittenberg

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