We are more sad than we can say to have to pass on the news that our wonderful author, Uschi Gatward, has died of cancer, having received a terminal diagnosis in September 2021.

We first worked with Uschi in 2016, when we put out her short story ‘Beltane’ as an ebook single. We were immediately impressed not only by the brilliance of the imagination, the sense of danger and gleeful humour in ‘Beltane’, but also by Uschi’s feel for language and her meticulous attention to the nuance of every sentence during the editing process. So when she got in touch again in 2020 saying she had a full collection of stories, we had high hopes it would be something special.

As it turned out, English Magic was even better than we expected. Many of the stories in it had already been longlisted, shortlisted, and the winner of various prizes (for example: ‘My Brother Is Back’ was the winner of the 2015 Wasafiri Prize; ‘Oh Whistle And’ was shortlisted for the 2016 White Review Prize; and ‘On Margate Sands’ was shortlisted for the 2014 London Magazine Short Story Prize), while the other stories she included were of exceptional quality. But there was more to it than these individual triumphs. This was a collection that felt far bigger than the sum of its parts, saying important and original things about life in the UK and announcing a writer with a style, voice and power all of her own.

When English Magic was published in September 2021, it received universal acclaim. It was called “an exquisite debut” (The Guardian, Lara Pawson), “subtle and beautiful” (The Tortoise, Matthew D’Ancona), “uneasy and excellent” (The Daily Mail, Eithne Farry), and “luminous” (Lunate, Claire Carrol). Most recently, it was selected as part of the Parisian bookshop Shakespeare & Company’s Year of Reading programme – a “career highlight”, Uschi said – and as a Guardian Book of the Year, where Justine Jordan wrote, “In English Magic, Uschi Gatward proved a master of leaving things unsaid.”

It is bittersweet to know that so many other people felt the same excitement about Uschi’s writing as we did, but we are very glad that she got to experience some of the recognition she deserved.

We are also grateful that we had the experience of working closely with Uschi in the year leading up to publication. Uschi was funny. She was direct. She would cut to the chase adroitly, with good humour and without apology. But while she often made us laugh, we also always knew how serious she was about her writing and the world. She had a burning sense of justice (just read ‘My Brother Is Back’ – inspired by the poet and translator Talha Ahsan, who was imprisoned without trial in first a UK and then a US correctional facility for seven years). As an author, she was the real thing. She took all comments seriously. Any suggestions she didn’t agree with, she didn’t change. But she always took the time to say why. Above everything else, she was specific. The big picture – the structures and the arcs of a story – were important to Uschi. Just as important were the sentences. She scrutinised every comma, made the kind of tiny adjustments – a word here, a punctuation there, a miniscule cut or repositioning – that belied an absolute dedication to craft and to getting the prose right.

After Uschi first told us she was ill, in the summer of 2021, she remained as business-like and purposeful as ever. She relayed practical information, was grateful for updates, and always demonstrated an amazing grace and fortitude, as well as deep concern for her family and loved ones. Shortly before Christmas Uschi sent us an email saying “Sorry to bring the jollity quotient down” but she was “conscious of time ticking” – and she asked us whether we would prepare a statement.

We want the world to continue to encounter Uschi’s fierce talent, to love her stories like we do – and to see just what a beautiful, vital writer she is. So please pick up a copy of English Magic at your local bookshop or library. You can also find it online at Waterstones, Blackwells, and Bookshop.org. Copies can be bought directly from the Galley Beggar Press bookshop here.

Finally, if you have read English Magic, or would like to write a tribute to Uschi, please send a message to us using the ‘Comments’ mechanism below. (Tributes will not be publicly published and will not appear on the website, but will be passed on to Uschi’s family.)

We remember Uschi with admiration, love and the confidence that future readers will find just as much to treasure in her stories as we have. Thank you Uschi.

Links

You can get a good flavour of what Uschi was like in the Q&A she wrote for us earlier in 2021 (here), and in the Top 10 she wrote for the Guardian in August (here).

Please also have a read of this Wasafiri interview.

You can read Uschi’s story ‘Samhain’ here. And here is Toby Litt reading ‘Oh Whistle And’ and Alex Pheby reading ‘The Clinic’.