Two hundred years ago, traumatized by her parents' decision to give up the rectory in Hampshire where she grew up, Jane Austen found herself unable to write for a decade. During that time she moved from one rented property to another, and it was only when her brother Edward offered her a permanent home in his Chawton House Estate that she was able to pick up her pen again. In fact her time spent there was so productive that all of her novels were written or published while living there.
The Jane Austen Short Story Competition celebrates the author, her works and the home that allowed her to write some of the most beloved and enduring novels ever written.
Dancing with Mr. Darcy features the winning piece of fiction and nineteen other stories, with introductions from Sarah Waters and Rebecca Smith, the great-great-great-great-great niece of Jane Austen.
© 2003-2026