Short stories have always been a sort of instant access into an author’s brain, their soul and heart. They can lift our lives into locations, people and experiences with a sweep of landscape, narration, feelings and emotions that are difficult to achieve elsewhere.

In this series we try to offer up tried and trusted ‘Top Tens’ across many different themes and authors. But any anthology will immediately throw up the questions – Why that story? Why that author?

The theme itself will form the boundaries for our stories which range from well-known classics, newly told, to stories that modern times have overlooked but perfectly exemplify the theme. Throughout the volume our authors whether of instant recognition or new to you are all leviathans of literature.

Some you may disagree with but they will get you thinking; about our choices and about those you would have made. If this volume takes you on a path to discover more of these miniature masterpieces then we have all gained something.

In this volume the once forgotten literary backwaters of Scandinavia, and its hinterland, reveal the storied works of their own literature. Some names are familiar, some decidedly not. But each has literary talents and compelling narratives.

1 - The Top 10 Short Stories - Nordic - An Introduction

2 - The Amputated Arms by Jorgen Wilhelm Bergsoe

3 - Pioneers by Juhani Aho

4 - The Nursemaid by Minna Canth

5 - Glahn's Death by Knut Hamsun

6 - Photographer and Philosopher by August Strindberg

7 - A Dry Spell by Eimar H Kvaran

8 - Norvick's Old Man by Anna Wahlenburg

9 - The Story of a Mother by Hans Christian Anderson

10 - Mistress Bine by Cornelia Levetzow

11 - The Father by Bjornstjerne Bjornson