Granta 80: The Group: Pictures from Previous Lives

Granta: The Magazine of New Writing #80

by Ian Jack (Editor)

In this issue of Granta, writers take out their group photographs and remember the best and the worst. Featuring new writing by Paul Theroux, Geoff Dyer, Liz Jobey and Helon Habila.

Genres: Essays, Nonfiction, Short Stories, Anthologies, Photography

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 6, 2003

About the author

Ian Jack is a British journalist and writer who has edited the Independent on Sunday and the literary magazine Granta and now writes regularly for The Guardian.

Reviews

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always buy a few old copies of Granta from the annual UQ Alumni book fair that happens at the University of Queensland every year. This edition is an example of why I do it. The short stories are timeless and the essays are just as interesting 20 years later. The theme of "The Group" is group photographs taken in the authors' past. I found the first few pieces very moving, with people reflecting on times past - Apartheid, childhood, unemployed youth. The middle of the collection flagged a bit, but "Scouting for Boys" by Paul Theroux was poignant and morally challenging and I was still thinking about it days later.