Can you capture the essence of Alan Sillitoe’s best known anti-hero Arthur Seaton from “*Saturday Night and Sunday Morning”*?

WHAT WOULD THIS HEADSTRONG REBEL BE LIKE IN 2011?

1st Prize: £100 – plus a Saturday Night Out in Nottingham

2nd Prize: £50 3rd Prize: £25

Runners up will receive a selection of books*

Entry fee: £3 per story. Profits to go to the Alan Sillitoe Statue Fund
(details overleaf)

Judges: Award-winning Nottingham novelist Nicola Monaghan and Alan Sillitoe’s son, the photographer David Sillitoe.

Entrants must live or work in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire,Lincolnshire or Leicestershire.

Max length of story: 1200 words

Closing date: 25th April 2011

* Grateful thanks are due to Random House and Little, Brown for their donations of books.

The Alan Sillitoe Statue Fund

Alan Sillitoe (1928-2010) was a distinguished author with a prodigious output of novels, stories and poetry, who retained his lifelong connection to Nottingham despite gaining world-wide recognition. In 2008 he received the honour of the Freedom of the City of Nottingham, and to confirm his place in the City’s history we hope to commission a statue of Alan. This will cost about £50,000, to be raised over the next two years.

The minimum entry fee for this competition is £3 per story and all profits will go
to the fund, but if you would like to increase this donation, your support would be very much appreciated.

Arthur Seaton

Arthur Seaton was created in 1958, the rebellious anti-hero of the novel “Saturday Night and Sunday Morning” –

“I’m me and nobody else; whatever people think I am or say I am, that’s what I’m not, because they don’t know a bloody thing about me.”

“I’m out for a good time; all the rest is propaganda.”

How would he shock us in 2011? His lathe at the cycle factory is long gone: how would he use (or abuse) the internet, credit cards, mobile phones? Would he be influenced by politics, or TV, or the daily news, or anything…?

Rules of entry

1. The competition is open to anyone living or working in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire or Lincolnshire.

2. Stories should be no longer than 1200 words, and should be typed, double-spaced, on A4 paper. We regret that stories cannot be returned, so please keep a copy.

3. The winners will be announced at the Lowdham Book Festival on 25th June 2011 The judges’ decision is final.

4. Pages should be numbered, and your name should not appear on them.
On a separate sheet, please write your name, address, phone number, email address if available, and where you heard about the competition.

5. Please enclose a SAE for receipt of entry if required – marked RECEIPT If you would like the results, please enclose a SAE – marked RESULTS

6. Cheques or postal orders should be made payable to: Writing East Midlands

7. Entries should be addressed to: The Competition Secretary, 38 Harrow Road, West Bridgford, Nottingham NG2 7DU

8. Closing date for entries: Monday, 25th April 2011