Brontë-inspired short story collection to Borough

The Borough Press is publishing a short story collection inspired by Wuthering Heights, to be edited by Kate Mosse.

The collection, titled I am Heathcliff, comprises 16 stories from writers including Joanna Cannon, Juno Dawson, Louise Doughty, Lisa McInerney, Nikesh Shukla and Louisa Young. Each author will use Emily Brontë's famous line from Wuthering Heights as a jumping-off point. Cathy says: "‘My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath: a source of little visible delight, but necessary. Nelly, I am Heathcliff! He's always, always in my mind: not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself, but as my own being."

Mosse hailed the collection a "wonderful tribute" to "the most magnificent of novels" and its author. "I've read [Wuthering Heights] during every decade of my life and found something different each time - ambitious, powerful, devastating, unique," she said. "This collection of 16 stories, written by some of our greatest contemporary writers, is a wonderful tribute to Emily Bronte's genius in her bicentenary year, and perfectly illustrates how her exceptional vision and imagination continue to inspire us."

Charlotte Cray, commissioning editor of The Borough Press, signed world rights in the anthology in a deal with Mark Lucas at Lucas Alexander Whitley.

"It has been awe-inspiring to work with 16 such distinct writers as they responded in myriad ways to the titan clash of romance and violence in this iconic relationship," Cray commented. "These stories will invite as much debate as they will praise and beg for a re-reading of the canonical classic."

This month marks the 170th anniversary of publication of Emily Bronte’s famous novel, and the collection will be published in hardback on 26th July 2018 to mark her bicentenary. The Borough Press will work in partnership with the Brontë Parsonage to celebrate its publication, and other promotional plans include a special reader event at the Parsonage in Haworth.