LONDON — The Booker Prize Foundation is launching a short story collection titled *All Around the World*. The collection is curated by Booker Prize-winning writer Roddy Doyle and includes works from Booker prize winners Anne Enright and David Szalay, as well as International Booker prize nominee Nadifa Mohamed.
Readers will be able to purchase the book for £1 starting on Thursday. The foundation plans to donate 12,000 copies of the book to individuals who encounter barriers to reading. These copies will be delivered through the foundation's prison reading programme, Books Unlocked.
The collection will also be available as a free digital and audio download for readers of the current Big Issue. Additionally, 300 physical copies will be distributed by vendors of the Big Issue magazine. George Anderson, a Big Issue vendor in central London, said: "Reading is almost like mindfulness. It takes you into a different place while keeping you in the here and now."
Doyle said: "Quick Reads is like dipping your toe in the water of literature, with some of the barriers that might put people off removed." He added: "The stories in All Around the World have access points, and I hope they alert readers to the fact that, actually, their life might be in here somewhere."
A survey conducted by the foundation indicated that 4 out of 10 respondents who abandoned books before finishing did so because they lost interest. The forthcoming State of the Nation's Adult Reading report shows 55% of respondents read less than they intend to. Data also revealed that 22% of respondents cited a lack of time for reading, and 21% mentioned the cost of books as a reason for not purchasing literature more frequently. Among 16- to 24-year-olds surveyed, 19% reported difficulty in finding themselves or their culture represented in books.