A CUMBRIAN author, dubbed 'one of Britain’s finest writers', is set to launch his latest short story collection at a celebrated Lake District literary festival.

June marks not only the return of Words by the Water Festival in Keswick but also the launch of Christopher Burns’ collection, Mrs Pulaska and Other Stories.

Chris, who lives in Whitehaven, was on the committee for the literary festival for a number of years – but as it returns, after a year hiatus, the acclaimed author will be discussing his own journey mastering short story form, led by Cumbrian author Elizabeth Stott, on June 7.

He said: "I’m looking forward to it – it will be nice to get some audience interaction.

"The collection is a rather representative display of what I can do, and hopefully I can do it well. It's typical of the material that I write."

Salt Publishing agreed to publish the collection just two days after its submission, and it pulls together some of Chris’ best work over the past two decades.

He continued: "Mrs Pulaska – the title story – was a very successful story that was on BBC Radio years and years ago, read by David David Horovitch. It got a large amount of audience approval, and a lot of people found it very emotional.

"For the audience, it's not just a formula that they are listening to. It's something that stimulates their own imagination, their own reactions, and sometimes their own lives. 

"Every now and then I get letters about it. I got one letter that said, ‘Where can I get a copy of this? I've been looking for it for years and years.’ And that was one of the triggers where I thought: Yes, that story should really be back between covers."

Mrs Pulaska and Other Stories is set for publication on June 15, with guests at Words by the Water to have an exclusive delve into the skilful collection.

The seventeen-story collection is made up of works that have previously appeared in the likes of Best British Short Stories, Critical Quarterly, and Granta Shorts.