Fiction, poetry, photography and reportage written and produced by writers, editors and readers of a new generation. Nu showcases young writers in an innovative, experimental and quality anthology. Writers, workers and wanderers from Wales and beyond, the authors provide a stimulating range of narrative.

Ffuglen, barddoniaeth, ffotograffiaeth ac adroddiadau wedi'u hysgrifennu gan genhedlaeth newydd o awduron, golygyddion a darllenwyr. Mae'r gyfrol hon yn cynnwys detholiad o ddarnau arbrofol a llawn dychymyg.

Nu lives up to its back-cover description as an innovative and experimental showcase of the work of young writers, and one photographer, from Wales and beyond. With its broad range of narrative voices and styles, it’s a great anthology to dip into. Some of the names are new, while others might be more familiar, and several of the writers featured here have full-length works either in progress or due for publication in the near future.

Jonathan Morris’s photos of the young people who form the heart and soul of Swansea’s Castle Square stand out not simply because they are the only photographs included here but because they are so intimately evocative. Placed as they are about two-thirds of the way through the book, I found them serving as an anchor that I returned to again and again between reading the poems and short fiction. In terms of form, the balance is weighed heavily in favour of prose, which is perhaps to be expected. More surprising, and enormously pleasing, is the 50/50 gender balance, since it seems all too common for anthologies of new writing to feature a heavy predominance of women, leaving young male writers under-represented.

You will have guessed by now that I’m not going to name names here. Of course I have my personal favourites - there are poems that I find genuinely hard-hitting and others that, for me, simply don’t get off the starting line; some of the short fiction seems memorably mature, while some smacks of ephemeral experimentation. But readers’ tastes differ, and that is precisely what Nu is about: to offer a selection that will embrace and appeal to a wide readership, and to provide young writers with a broad-based platform for their varied styles and ideas. May this be the first of many editions.

Suzy Ceulan Hughes

It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgment should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council.

Gellir defnyddio'r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatâd Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru.