Magic is described as science we do not understand and illusions as tricks of controlling audience perspective. Black hat or white hat, good or evil, witches, hackers, and robots work types of magic a little beyond our day-to-day comprehension. And what is more exciting than the inexplicable? DARK MAGIC is all around us. Join us for a thrilling ride.

'Some of the sharpest and most entertaining writing about contemporary life I've read in a long time. Nine vivid slices of literary talent - by turns funny, daring and unsettlingly accurate. A treat for anyone looking for new voices in European fiction' - Oliver Harris, author of The Hollow Man. 'All credit due to these authors who have tackled a city that writers appear to avoid... In sum, an accomplished and interesting collection, which benefits from the different styles and personalities of its young writers' - The Brussels Bulletin 'If this is the meantime, we are very curious to see what these young people will produce when the coin has been tossed.' - Agenda Magazine 'These nine young writers...have gazed seriously and unflinchingly at the city...The result is a curious and highly-enjoyable waterzooi of a collection' - Flanders Today In the heart of the European quarter, a disillusioned civil servant asks himself what he is doing stranded on a rain-swept roundabout with a Commissioner and a pig. When night falls on the same streets, a young hedonist is drawn into a vengeful game that threatens to turn fatal. What is he being punished for? And why can't he run? Nine young characters - some expats, some locals - walk the streets of Brussels: capital of Europe, purgatory of dreams and ambitions. Nothing constrains their freedom, but is nothing a reason to stay? In a city of transitory people and multiple identities, they must choose, over and over again.The Meantime is an English-language short story collection set in Brussels. Written with affection but without illusions, The Meantime will take you on nine vivid journeys through a city and a stage of life where nothing is permanent - except transition. Authors are Belgian, British, Central African, Finnish, Hungarian, Italian, Rwandan and Spanish.