BBC HomeExplore the BBC
This page was last updated in February 2005We've left it here for reference.More information

1 December 2009
Accessibility help
Text only
Bradford and West YorkshireBradford and West Yorkshire

BBC Homepage
»BBC Local
Bradford
Things to do
People & Places
Nature
History
Religion & Ethics
Arts and Culture
BBC Introducing
TV & Radio

Sites near Bradford

Derby
Lancashire
Leeds
Manchester
North Yorkshire
South Yorkshire

Related BBC Sites

England
 

Contact Us

Like this page?
Send it to a friend!

 

February 2005
Stories from the Naked City
Photo from The Naked City
The book also includes a series of photos by Kevin Reynolds showing naked people in everyday situations
Once upon a time there was a TV programme set in New York called The Naked City which declared: "There are eight million stories in this city and this has been one of them." A new collection of short stories published here in West Yorkshire aims to take us inside the modern British city.
SEE ALSO
MORE INFO
Naked City is published by Route
PRINT THIS PAGE
View a printable version of this page.
get in contact
Apartment living, bar culture, new buildings, changing shopping habits all suggest that life in our cities is changing, but how can we find out what it is actually like to live there? Now a Pontefract publisher, who specialises in discovering new writers, has decided a good starting place for finding out might be through the short story. Four of the stories in Naked City have strong West Yorkshire connections.

Tajinder Singh Hayer lives in Bradford and teaches at the University and his story Statue has a very strong sense of place. We are in Centenary Square and Jasvir, the central character, looks out at a living statue from the windows of her City Hall office. Local places like Saltaire and Manningham get name checks as Jasvir carries out her duties for the Council. Along the way she examines her relationship with her colleagues and the man in her life and reflects on the nature of her emotions. It is likely we will be hearing more of Tajinder, who at 23, has already had several short plays produced at the West Yorkshire Playhouse as well as one by the BBC.

stone chair and clock in Bradford
Life in our cities is changing

Although he was born in Salford Michael Stewart now lives in Bradford. He has already had some success as a dramatist and his story Dog In A Bag, initially at least, seems very rooted in dialogue. It also serves as a reminder that families live in the city. Liz and Andrew have a small baby. They talk, but do they communicate?

Mark Costello was born in Batley. It seems his tale, Crime Class, is his first attempt at writing a short story but it grabbed me from the start: "My first day as a teacher was a tragedy, I am now at the point of farce readying myself for a new class in the world of further education. On mornings like this I think 'He who can, does. He who cannot, is a ****, also known as a teacher.'" Charlie is a 35-year-old FE teacher with more than a few hang-ups whose only solace is "the bottle and music, oh, and an unhealthy interest in documentaries about Nazis" who is giving his first criminology class. Nothing much has changed for Charlie by the end of the story but some serious points about crime, deviance and punishment are raised along the way. More like this, please.

Tom Palmer's story, If There Is No Justice, is also about crime and punishment. Tom now lives in Todmorden but is well known in Bradford, both because of his work for the Bradford Book Festival and with readers' groups across the district, and also for his book about being a Leeds United fan. His story, which opens in Leeds Magistrates' Court, not only has a strong sense of narrative but recreates the smells and colours of the city very effectively. I look forward to reading his forthcoming novel.

Of course, Naked City tells of lives beyond West Yorkshire - there are also stories set in Newcastle, Dundee, Glasgow, Manchester, Hull, Nottingham, Durham and Liverpool, and if this wasn't enough the collection is accompanied by a series of photographs. Kevin Reynolds looks through his lens at naked people (volunteer models) in everyday situations.

I came to this collection as someone who has been evading short stories for a good few years, even though some of these have been amongst the best stuff I have ever read. Although I still feel the novel is more ideally suited to reflect change The Naked City shows that the short story is the perfect medium for laying bare glimpses of people's lives.

Chris Verguson

line
Top | Words+ Pictures Index | Home
OTHER LISTINGS SOURCES
ALIVE.CO.UK
ENTS24.COM
DIGYORKSHIRE.COM
CALDERDALE.GOV.UK
BRADFORD.GOV.UK
KIRKLEES.GOV.UK
WAKEFIELD.GOV.UK
KNOWHERE.CO.UK
BRITINFO.NET
THISISBRADFORD.CO.UK
WAKEFIELDTODAY.CO.UK
ICHUDDERSFIELD
HALIFAXTODAY.CO.UK
divider
divider
divider
divider
(The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites)

divider
GOING OUT going out image
What's on across West Yorkshire? From gigs to the top ten films, from clubbing to the theatre - it's all here!

divider Pubs/Clubs divider Film
divider Music divider Theatre
Contact Us
BBC Bradford and West Yorkshire
National Museum of Photography,
Film and Television,
Bradford
BD1 1NQ
(+44) 01274 841051
bradford@bbc.co.uk
westyorkshire@bbc.co.uk

Movies Top 10


About the BBC | Help | Terms of Use | Privacy & Cookies Policy