The The Man on the Train

Selected by Cynan Jones.
Edited by Elaine Canning.

With a foreword by Cynan Jones.

Twelve compelling, original stories about friendship, family, fragility and love from the winners of the 2025 Rhys Davies Short Story Award.

An unnamed man travels towards Aberystwyth after twenty years, wrestling with his own internal thought processes punctuated by childhood memories; a young woman adopts a fern baby while another befriends a giant African land snail; a group of men and one woman gather at Friday club to hear Eirwyn’s wolf story; and a class of boys find themselves with their recently engaged teacher in Craig y Ddinas for a climbing expedition. A small unspoilt island is infiltrated by a ketchup-obsessed business man promising tourism income; and unemployed thirty-year-old Bonita challenges her neighbourhood’s fixation with lemon trees.

These are stories which transport the reader across place and time, illuminating environmental challenges, our relationship with the natural world and the impact of new, unexpected worlds. 

Stories by: Ralph Bolland; Alan Bryant; Miranda Davies; Jonathan Edwards; Sybilla Harvey; Natalie Ann Holborow; Sian Hughes; Kate Lockwood Jefford; Keza O'Neill; Jonathan Page; and Tess Powell.

“Reading through this year’s entries, I was really struck by the trepidation, either deep or overt, that seemed to shadow many of the stories. A shared sense across the entries of writing into an uncertain world. The twelve pieces chosen as finalists deal with this trepidation in different ways, sometimes anarchic, sometimes poignant, brutal, thoughtful. Even with hope and subversive delight. But in each case with ambition in the narrative, and skill in the words themselves. I was looking for memorable stories. For stories that stayed in the mind. And after judging the award, one thing is clear. If there is trepidation, Wales has the writers to tackle it. These are stand-out examples of how impactful a short story can be.” Cynan Jones


The Rhys Davies Short Story Competition recognises the very best unpublished short stories in English in any style by writers aged 18 or over who were born in Wales, have lived in Wales for two years or more, or are currently living in Wales. Originally established in 1991, Parthian is delighted to publish the 2025 winning stories on behalf of the Rhys Davies Trust and in association with Swansea University's Cultural Institute.