🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Tessa Hadley
Tessa Hadley is a British novelist known for her short stories and novels focusing on issues of family relationships and the manner in which they can shape lives. The winner of a Windham-Campbell Literature Prize, Tessa is considered to be one of the best contemporary writers to come out of England. +Biography Tessa Hadley is the daughter of a teacher and jazz trumpeter, and an amateur artist. She is also sister to Peter Nichols, a famous playwright. Born in 1956, Tessa took to writing very early on. A student of Clare College and the University of Cambridge, while the author was keen on putting her BA in English to good use, the publishing industry was initially resistant to Tessa’s attempts at following her passion.
All Book Series by Tessa Hadley
After the Funeral and Other Stories
Latest in the series · book 4 of 4 · published 2023
Henry James and the Imagination of Pleasure
Single-title series · published 1998
The BBC National Short Story Award 2010
Series opener · book 1 of 15 · published 2010 Anthology · Helen Oyeyemi,David Constantine,Sarah Hall,Aminatta Forna,Jon McGregor
The BBC National Short Story Award 2011
Book 2 of 15 · published 2011 Anthology · Alison MacLeod,M.J. Hyland,Jon McGregor,K.J. Orr,Sue MacGregor
The BBC International Short Story Award 2012
Book 3 of 15 · published 2012 Anthology · Miroslav Penkov,Carrie Tiffany,Deborah Levy,M.J. Hyland,Clive Anderson,Lucy Caldwell,Henrietta Rose-Innes,Julian Gough,Chris Womersley,Krys Lee,Adam Ross
The BBC National Short Story Award 2013
Book 4 of 15 · published 2013 Anthology · Lionel Shriver,Sarah Hall,Lavinia Greenlaw,Lucy Wood
The BBC National Short Story Award 2014
Book 5 of 15 · published 2014 Co-authored · Lionel Shriver,Zadie Smith,Rose Tremain,Francesca Rhydderch,Alan Yentob
The BBC National Short Story Award 2015
Book 6 of 15 · published 2015 Anthology · Jeremy Page
BBC National Short Story Award 2016
Book 7 of 15 · published 2016 Anthology · Hilary Mantel,Claire-Louise Bennett,Lavinia Greenlaw,Tahmima Anam,Jenni Murray,K.J. Orr
The BBC National Short Story Award 2017
Book 8 of 15 · published 2017 Anthology · Joanna Trollope,Helen Oyeyemi,Jenni Fagan,Benjamin Markovits,Will Eaves,Cynan Jones
The BBC National Short Story Award 2018
Book 9 of 15 · published 2018 Anthology · Kerry Andrew,Sarah Hall,Ingrid Persaud,Nell Stevens,Kiare Ladner,Stig Abell
The BBC National Short Story Award 2019
Book 10 of 15 · published 2019 Anthology · Lucy Caldwell,Jo Lloyd,Lynda Clark,Jacqueline Crooks,Nikki Bedi
The BBC National Short Story Award 2020
Book 11 of 15 · published 2020 Anthology · Eley Williams,Sarah Hall,Caleb Azumah Nelson,Jan Carson,Jack Houston
The BBC National Short Story Award 2021
Book 12 of 15 · published 2021 Anthology · Danny Rhodes,James Runcie,Richard Smyth,Lucy Caldwell,Rory Gleeson,Georgina Harding
The BBC National Short Story Award 2022
Book 13 of 15 · published 2022 Anthology · Kerry Andrew,Elizabeth Day,Jenn Ashworth,Anna Bailey,Vanessa Onwuemezi,Saba Sams
The BBC National Short Story Award 2023
Book 14 of 15 · published 2023 Anthology · Kamila Shamsie,NickMulgrew,NaomiWood,CheriseSaywell,KPatrick,Reeta Chakrabarti
The BBC National Short Story Award 2024
Latest in the series · book 15 of 15 · published 2024 Anthology · Lucy Caldwell,Ross Raisin,Will Boast,Manish Chauhan,Paddy O’Connell,Vee Walker
The Best Short Stories 2021: The O. Henry Prize Winners
Latest in the series · book 5 of 5 · published 2021
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Tessa Hadley?
Tessa Hadley is a British novelist known for her short stories and novels focusing on issues of family relationships and the manner in which they can shape lives. The winner of a Windham-Campbell Literature Prize, Tessa is considered to be one of the best contemporary writers to come out of England. +Biography Tessa Hadley is the daughter of a teacher and jazz trumpeter, and an amateur artist. She is also sister to Peter Nichols, a famous playwright.
Which Tessa Hadley series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Selected Shorts series, the earliest of Tessa Hadley's multi-book series: it opens with For Better and for Worse (1993) and runs to 17 books across 1993–2012, ending with Poe! (2012). Tessa Hadley's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.
How many books has Tessa Hadley written?
Tessa Hadley has 53 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1993 and 2024. 32 of them belong to 2 named series — the largest being the Selected Shorts series with 17 books — and 21 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Tessa Hadley's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Tessa Hadley's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Selected Shorts (1993–2012, 17 books) and The BBC National Short Story Award (2010–2024, 15 books).
How are Tessa Hadley's books organised into series?
This guide splits Tessa Hadley's 53 books into 2 named series and 21 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Selected Shorts (17 books, 1993–2012); The BBC National Short Story Award (15 books, 2010–2024).