Ox-Tales: Water, Air, Fire, Earth

The four-book strong Ox-Tales collect together work from the best of British and Irish writers today under themes closely related to Oxfam’s work around the globe – water projects (Water), aid for conflict areas (Fire), agricultural development (Earth), and action on climate change (Air).

With an eclectic array of established names in both popular and literary fiction, the collection provides a fabulous insight into the literary landscape today, and all for a good cause. Ox-Tales includes both previously published and un-published work from Mark Haddon, Joanna Trollope, Lionel Shriver, Alexander McCall Smith, Vikram Seth and many more. Helen Fielding’s Trouble in Paradise provides an intriguing insight to the writer beyond Bridget Jones. While Jeanette Winterson’s Dog Days poignantly explores the often-overlooked bonds between person and pet. The stories provide wonderful snippets into the writers’ process, but also on the wider implications of their context.

Ruby Beesley