Granta 108: Chicago
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Granta 108: Chicago
by
Granta,
John Freeman
Saul Bellow and Ernest Hemingway grew up there. The eight-hour work day, the Ponzi scheme and the rhythm and blues have risen from its streets. But Chicago is not just a city of the past. In this dynamic issue, GRANTA brings the one-time industrial hub to life through the eyes of exciting new writers, from home grown stars like George Saunders and Dave Eggers, to immigrant...more
Paperback, 288 pages
Published
September 4th 2009
by Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
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An interesting if incomplete look at the city I call home. There's more to Chicago than poverty and corruption, right?
My favorite bits were Sandra Cisneros' tribute to her mother, Don DeLillo's tribute to Nelson Algren, and Elaine Showalter's tribute to Jane Adams. But what I'll think about when I think about this issue of Granta, probably forever, is Alex Kotlowitz. His story is about gangs and violence, but it's specifically about the kids who murdered a former coworker of mine, ...more
My favorite bits were Sandra Cisneros' tribute to her mother, Don DeLillo's tribute to Nelson Algren, and Elaine Showalter's tribute to Jane Adams. But what I'll think about when I think about this issue of Granta, probably forever, is Alex Kotlowitz. His story is about gangs and violence, but it's specifically about the kids who murdered a former coworker of mine, ...more
A great collection of Chicago-centric writing (complete with a killer Chris Ware-designed cover), Granta 108 examines the different facets of the City That Works, moving from the hopelessness of the Henry Horner Homes to the joys of soccer in the park and the grease the keeps the political machine running.
Aleksander Hemon, Alek Kotlowitz and Tony D’Souza turn in first-rate work, and collection only misses its stride with a ponderous over-examination of Barack Obama by Wole Soyinka. ...more
Aleksander Hemon, Alek Kotlowitz and Tony D’Souza turn in first-rate work, and collection only misses its stride with a ponderous over-examination of Barack Obama by Wole Soyinka. ...more
This Chicago themed issue is overall very good, although I didn’t care for the two poems. Of the 20 essays and stories, I liked all but two and I thought the photo essay on the slums of Chicago was especially interesting. The final piece, “Parrot,” an excerpt from a soon-to-be published book, was a bit hard to follow but left me wanting to read more. For a theme issue, the editor did a very good job covering the many intricacies of Chicago from the imaginary viewpoint of the city from a restaura...more
Though I am a long time subscriber to Granta, I have not in recent years, read an issue cover to cover, and never have I progressed through an issue page by page. I accomplished both feats (such as they are) with Granta 108.
Knowing little about Chicago, I was interested in each story, each providing insight into some facet of Chicago life, politics, infrastructure.
I once sent a copy of Granta 48, an issue focussing on Africa, to a friend then living in Cote d'Ivoire. She was dism...more
Knowing little about Chicago, I was interested in each story, each providing insight into some facet of Chicago life, politics, infrastructure.
I once sent a copy of Granta 48, an issue focussing on Africa, to a friend then living in Cote d'Ivoire. She was dism...more
I loved this edition of Granta. I know that it is only because I am from Chicago and therefore I get it. I know who and where they are talking about. I can imagine the street intersections and know all the politicians on a first name basis. As a product of the Chicago Public School Systems, it's a necessity to graduate. It just irks me a bit that I know Granta doesn't get it. There is so much more than what's between these covers. Chicago is much more than poverty, housing projects, drunken iris...more
Remember that photo mosaic poster of Abraham Lincoln that from close up you could see was just a bunch of small individual pictures? The “tiles” were arranged by shades of sepia that from further away you could see traced out Abe’s features. Well, the same effect was not achieved by the stories and essays in this Granta special edition. There were too many dark pieces – gunshots and poverty – and those that did offer contrast were like neon in their quirkiness. It wasn’t an image of the Chic...more
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First of all the cover by Chris Ware is such a succinct and stylish vision of Chicago- highlighting a lot of the little details that really strike a Chicago chord, the el, Modernist architecture, the lake, neighborhood two flats (on the back cover), and the Willis Tower ever present in the background.
This collection does similar justice demonstrating the little microcosms of existence that hop around the city. Stories about Chicago Housing Projects, an Eastern European immigrant findi...more
This collection does similar justice demonstrating the little microcosms of existence that hop around the city. Stories about Chicago Housing Projects, an Eastern European immigrant findi...more
"He swam through autumn as the temperature fell and leaves rusted and windy days honed the waves to a metallic glint."
- Stuart Dybek
Seiche
"PARK AS LONG AS YOU LIKE IN A LOT OF YOUR OWN. I had never thought of it that way before, and surely it was the very thing I'd been wantin all my days and yet not knowin, peace and quiet and a place all my own where I could just lay on my back all the day doin nothin just so long as I liked, and not a scoldin holy voice...more
- Stuart Dybek
Seiche
"PARK AS LONG AS YOU LIKE IN A LOT OF YOUR OWN. I had never thought of it that way before, and surely it was the very thing I'd been wantin all my days and yet not knowin, peace and quiet and a place all my own where I could just lay on my back all the day doin nothin just so long as I liked, and not a scoldin holy voice...more
This was a good, Chicagocentric read. My favorite pieces were by Alexander Hemon, about community soccer, and Neil Steinberg, about how politics works in Chicago ("We don't want nobody nobody sent"). Coincidentally, these are the first two pieces in the volume. Bonus: nothing to do with Chicago, but an excerpt from Peter Carey's forthcoming novel, Parrot & Olivier in America, which absorbed me in spite of myself.
"Says I: 'Bonjour'
Says he: 'Parles-tu Francais, Monsieur?'
Says I: 'Parles-tu Francais, Monsieur?'
He has a face like a stone. I squeezed a grin out of it. 'Vous,' said he.
'Ah, vous?' said I.
I wish you could hear me now because you would understand the unholy jumble - that rough little English boy falling over his vouss and tus in the perfect accent of the Faubourg Saint-Germain."
Parrot by Peter Carey
Says he: 'Parles-tu Francais, Monsieur?'
Says I: 'Parles-tu Francais, Monsieur?'
He has a face like a stone. I squeezed a grin out of it. 'Vous,' said he.
'Ah, vous?' said I.
I wish you could hear me now because you would understand the unholy jumble - that rough little English boy falling over his vouss and tus in the perfect accent of the Faubourg Saint-Germain."
Parrot by Peter Carey
A terrific issue featuring stories about Chicago and/or by Chicago authors. "Driving with Ed McElroy" gives you a flavor of how strong and enduring, although slowing dying, the connections/favors/paybacks culture of old time Chicago is, the city's own version of what it means to have "enchufee" as the Spaniards say. The photo essay on the changes in the neighborhoods around the CHA housing projects offers a glimpse of urban "renewal" at work. Since I lived for so...more
This is a new find - British literary review which, in this edition, contains essays about Chicago from Chicago writers - Stuart Dybeck, Aleksandar Hemon, etc. I have only read the first four but, so far, a great impression of life as Chicagoans know it.
I liked 'Parrot' by Peter Carey, a historical fantasy about a kid working for forgers.
I wasn't as wowed by this as most issues of Granta. Most stories/essays were mildly interesting. Perhaps Chicago wouldn't wow me either?
I wasn't as wowed by this as most issues of Granta. Most stories/essays were mildly interesting. Perhaps Chicago wouldn't wow me either?
3.5. Lots of good stuff in this one, including a Thom Jones piece about working at a General Mills plant in Aurora. So bizarre to see British spellings ("neighbourhood," etc.) in Chicago writers' work, though.
I read 90%. I liked it. I think the theme was to show the gritty side of Chicago. Better to home in on one sub-theme than to try & fail to portray all of the city's aspects.
Much of this Chicago-focused issue really feels like the city, all gray and concrete and rusty. I liked it very much.
I found this collection of Chicago authors writing about Chicago things to be a tad depressing. Corrupt government, poverty, racism, housing projects. It was a bit much for me to handle while riding a bus through the grey January mornings on my way to work.
Nice to get me acquainted with my new city!
Mona
rated it
Shelves:
granta,
21st-century-lit,
united-states,
arts-photography,
essays,
nonfiction,
short-stories
I hope to return to this at some point - I'm not finished with it yet. But from what I've read, this is an interesting portrait of Chicago. However, as others have mentioned, it seems to focus more on the poverty and crime of the city than anything else.
Matthew Nelson
marked it as to-read
Jan C
marked it as to-read
Gobernadora
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Granta magazine was founded in 1889 by students at Cambridge University as The Granta, a periodical of student politics, student badinage and student literary enterprise, named after the river that runs through the town. In this original incarnation it had a long and distinguished history, publishing the early work of many writers who later became well known, including A. A. Milne, Michael Frayn, ...more
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