New Fiction Special

Granta: The Magazine of New Writing #106

by Alex Clark (Editor), Hisham Matar (Contributor), Fanny Howe (Contributor)

Granta 106 will be a special issue devoted entirely to fiction. Look out for the best short stories of the year, new graphic fiction, extracts from the most exciting autumn books, and exclusive, in-depth interviews with some of the biggest names in fiction.
Featuring a mix of established and new voices, Granta’s first summer fiction special offers a complete view of the best international writing, and is a must-have for everyone who loves reading and holidays.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Essays, Literature, Anthologies

256 pages, Paperback

First published May 8, 2009

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent companion to lug around in my bag with the selection of remarkably even quality.

[Wendy Liu · Rating 4 out of 5]

so happy to see that mavis gallant interview. the paul auster excerpt is amazing.

[Shefali · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ha Jin's story 'In The Crossfire' felt like somebody tossed a smooth round pebble into my brain and rippled it up like so much water. It's such a wonderful story about how we lose our moorings and travel so far away from the people who made us, both literally and figuratively. There is a scene in which the parents wait anxiously for the main character to return from an examination. It brought back memories of my mother (ever the motivator) running alongside the length of an Olympic-sized pool, encouraging me to pull, pull, pull my way to second place.

But I digress. In this issue, Jhumpa Lahiri has a rambling chat with Mavis Gallant, who has published over 100 stories in the New Yorker. She seems an extraordinary person--gadding off by herself to Paris, determined to be a writer and then achieving exactly what she set out to do. I found this passage below oddly comforting.

Mavis Gallant: I'll tell you what happens when you get older. Things seem inevitable..
Jhumpa Lahiri: In the writing?
Mavis Gallant: No, in life. They seem inevitable in some way. You feel less -- I don't know what it is. You don't lose compassion. You know, Men have died and worms have eaten but never I think for love. Shakespeare had it.

The other story which stuck was the excerpt from Paul Auster's new book - Invisible. I haven't cared much for Auster of late, but he's back in full form here and I look forward to reading the book.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of the ten fiction selections in this issue, all were good and seven were extremely strong, plus the interview of short story writer Mavis Gallant by Jhumpa Lahiri is one of the best interviews I’ve read. ‘For the Exclusive Attn of Ms Linda Withycombe’ by Nicola Barker was hilarious; the excerpt entitled ‘Invisible’ from Paul Auster’s new novel about a young college student who is seduced by an older couple is intriguing, and I loved the writing in ‘Two Tides’ by Eleanor Catton about an adventurous girl who makes friends with a salty seaman. This issue of GRANTA is definitely one of the better ones.

[Anne Tucker · Rating 3 out of 5]

mixed - I loved some of the entries - especially Nicola Barker (Darkmans was one of my surprise reads of a few years ago), the romance starting on a sailing boat, and the Chinese couple with a visiting mother. Very strong ..

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am really looking forward to this guy! I have to admit, I've already read the Chris Ware piece :]

[Huw]

good.

[Chris Eley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked the Ha Jin, Nicola Barker & Paul Auster pieces.