We Were Strangers
Stories Inspired by Unknown Pleasures
edited by Richard V. Hirst
edited by Richard V. Hirst
One of Rough Trade's Top Five Books of the 2018.
"A death-rattling good read." - Litro
Joy Division remain one of Britain's most influential and best-loved bands, their music as dramatic and compelling now as when they first appeared almost forty years ago.
Unknown Pleasures, their debut album, is their definitive document, a brooding, thrilling record whose cryptic contents have haunted the imaginations of generations of listeners.
The ten new stories in We Were Strangers, each of which takes its title and inspiration from a song on the album, offer an original, distinctive and wide-ranging response.
Featuring original fiction from:
We Were Strangers lights a path through the nocturnal territory mapped out in Unknown Pleasures, taking in tales of isolation and anxiety, but also ecstasy and otherworldly adventure.
"These collected stories are achingly modern and fully embrace contemporary anxieties and preoccupations. They confront us with intense feelings and show us places we may not always wish to be, but – just like Joy Division themselves – they have the collective power to stay firmly rooted in our minds." - Carol Morley, The Observer
"Heartbreaking... brilliantly strange... disturbingly odd..." - The Irish Times
"A marvellous collection, shot through with pathos but also with subtle comedy, sly observation of character and situation and a deep sense of place. A must-buy, not only for Joy Division fans, but for anybody interested in what the short story is doing today." - John Burnside
"A death-rattling good read." - Litro
Joy Division remain one of Britain's most influential and best-loved bands, their music as dramatic and compelling now as when they first appeared almost forty years ago.
Unknown Pleasures, their debut album, is their definitive document, a brooding, thrilling record whose cryptic contents have haunted the imaginations of generations of listeners.
The ten new stories in We Were Strangers, each of which takes its title and inspiration from a song on the album, offer an original, distinctive and wide-ranging response.
Featuring original fiction from:
- Jenn Ashworth
- Anne Billson
- David Gaffney
- Jessie Greengrass
- Zoe Lambert
- Toby Litt
- Sophie Mackintosh
- Louise Marr
- Nicholas Royle
- Eley Williams
We Were Strangers lights a path through the nocturnal territory mapped out in Unknown Pleasures, taking in tales of isolation and anxiety, but also ecstasy and otherworldly adventure.
"These collected stories are achingly modern and fully embrace contemporary anxieties and preoccupations. They confront us with intense feelings and show us places we may not always wish to be, but – just like Joy Division themselves – they have the collective power to stay firmly rooted in our minds." - Carol Morley, The Observer
"Heartbreaking... brilliantly strange... disturbingly odd..." - The Irish Times
"A marvellous collection, shot through with pathos but also with subtle comedy, sly observation of character and situation and a deep sense of place. A must-buy, not only for Joy Division fans, but for anybody interested in what the short story is doing today." - John Burnside
"Original and clever, haunting and uplifting." - Alison Moore
“With the spectral presence of Curtis and co. sitting obliquely at the centre, here ten authors go spiralling
off in bold, new and highly unexpected directions.” – Benjamin Myers
We Were Strangers is available from Confingo, Amazon and all reputable bookshops.
“With the spectral presence of Curtis and co. sitting obliquely at the centre, here ten authors go spiralling
off in bold, new and highly unexpected directions.” – Benjamin Myers
- Read Jessie Greengrass's story from the collection, 'Candidate', reproduced in Granta here.
- Read about Sophie Mackintosh's experience of writing for the book in The Guardian here.
- Read my piece about Manchester and its musical and industrial history here.
- We Were Strangers was selected as one of Rough Trade's Books of the Year 2018 - read the full list here.
- Zoe Lambert on transforming Joy Division's music into fiction in The Guardian here.
We Were Strangers is available from Confingo, Amazon and all reputable bookshops.
