Longlisted for the Frank O'Connor Short Story Award.

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"A writer with a gift for expressing the ordinary in an original way. Excellent."
Kate Saunders, The Times

“One of Britain’s most important young black novelists... a truly gifted storyteller.” Time Out

“One of the most imaginative, free-thinking writers working today. I love his work.”
Sarah Hall

"As a collection of energetic, visceral short stories, A Book of Blues is both a sign of the rude health of the short story form and a salutary reminder that Courttia Newland is one of the most unusual and invigorating writers on the current literary scene."
Barry Forshaw in Crime Time

"These are compelling and heartfelt stories, taking the reader into the lives of a wide range of characters, whether in Kenya or England." The Journal: Culture

A music journalist suffering a crisis of identity in Miami. The year young London went crazy for hip-hop. Old friends trying to connect their disparate lives once more. In stories threaded together with music, A Book of Blues explores both physical and internal landscapes and the never-ending diversity of human relationships. Showing a command of different voices and remarkable empathy, Courttia Newland’s compelling and heartfelt stories take us into the lives of a wide range of characters. A storyteller whose locations span continents and cultures, from the sparse Kenyan bush to the bustling Portobello Road, Newland paints vivid, inimitable portraits of characters endeavouring to navigate their way through a world where love presents as many problems as it does opportunities.

Courttia Newland is the author of the critically acclaimed novels The Scholar, Society Within and Snakeskin. He was the co-editor of IC3: The Penguin Book of New Black Writing in Britain and his short stories have featured in many anthologies, including Tell Tales. His latest books are The Dying Wish (2006) and a collection of stories, Music For the Off-Key (2006). His plays have been performed across London and his radio play, Hands, was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2006. W10 LDN, a BBC Three television drama, was based on Courttia’s short stories. In 2007, he was shortlisted for the CWA Dagger in the Library Award.