Must-have gadgets and literary shortlists

As queues lengthen for the iPhone5, out this week, The iHole, which lampoons the obsession with desirable electronics, is shortlisted for the BBC International Short Story Award

The iHole, by Julian Gough (pictured) is about the launch of a new gadget that operates as a personal black hole.

The other stories shortlisted for the £15,000 award, which will be announced on 2 October, are: Escape Routes, Lucy Caldwell; The iHole, Julian Gough; Even Pretty Eyes Commit Crimes, M J Hyland; The Goose Father, Krys Lee; Black Vodka, Deborah Levy; East of the West, Miroslav Penkov; Sanctuary, Henrietta Rose-Innes; In the Basement, Adam Ross; Before he Left the Family, Carrie Tiffany, and A Lovely and Terrible Thing by Chris Womersley.

Website: www.booktrust.org.uk