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Granta 171: Dead Friends

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224 pages, Paperback

Published April 29, 2025

11 people are currently reading
28 people want to read

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Thomas Meaney

16 books1 follower

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5 stars
10 (11%)
4 stars
45 (51%)
3 stars
29 (33%)
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2 (2%)
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1 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
Profile Image for Paul Dembina.
710 reviews169 followers
April 25, 2025
An interesting issue themed around reminiscences of friends who have passed away or otherwise "lost"

Beware the gruesome non-fiction article about the process called resomation. It's a method for disposing of the deceased body by breaking it down using potassium hydroxide.
Profile Image for Ruby.
6 reviews
June 1, 2025
I think I only enjoyed tao lin’s piece
Profile Image for Olivia.
121 reviews2 followers
Read
May 22, 2025
Particularly enjoyed the pieces by Tao Lin and Fernanda Eberstadt
65 reviews1 follower
June 2, 2025
An interesting theme that naturally leans more into the non-fiction - even though I'd never heard of half the people eulogised there was a real tenderness and warmth to the pieces.

Highlights include:
Fernanda Eberstadt's portrait of her relationship with Andy Warhol, which doubles as a coming-of-age piece
Susie Boyt's fictional deathbed friend with such sharply drawn and textured characters
Gary Indiana's compelling interview-style short story
William Atkins' deep dive into a cleaner form of cremation
Aayish Taseer's touching sketch of a prickly mentor
Tao Lin's drug-feulled connection

Lots to enjoy
Profile Image for Chris.
664 reviews12 followers
Read
May 16, 2025
I enjoyed this volume, reading candid reminiscences of people departed by those left behind. The poetry here, particularly that of Krystina Dąbrowska, offered other views of the ways the past—the dead—remain always present.
Unfortunately for me, the final, longest, piece in Granta 171, Tao Lin writing about his friendship with Gian DiTrapano, I found a boring slog of prodigious drugging and in-jokes.
Profile Image for Marcus.
48 reviews
April 17, 2025
One of the best Grantas for some time, I thought (and I've been subscribing for 25 years, since number 71!) - consistently good writing, and actually followed the proclaimed theme. I especially enjoyed Aatish Taseer on VS Naipaul, and 'All Being Well' by Susie Boyt, but several others were great too. Feels like an old friend is back on form.
Profile Image for M. Salazar.
83 reviews
May 15, 2025
Gorgeous. All of life is contagious, the void left by the dead author of the universe, a vanishing, no time for symbolism, time folding over itself, the windows, more opaque, life getting poorer after your death.

Highlights: all of it, really, loved the Joshua Cohen, Marlen Haushofer, & the Resomation pieces the most.
Profile Image for Ray Quirolgico.
291 reviews8 followers
May 20, 2025
The title of this issue of Granta, “Dead Friends,” intrigued me right away. Yes, there are stories of emotional reminiscing. But there are also surprises like ghost stories, political histories, and plaintive poetry and photos that feel like respectful prayers. I just wish there was more of a cathartic payoff overall.
Profile Image for Victoria & David Williams.
728 reviews7 followers
January 11, 2026
A middling issue: the only standout was the piece on a new technology around a cleaner form of
chemical cremation and the woman trying to sell it to the Irish. (And the image of white powder around the door and on the floor of her machine).
Memoirs touching on Andy Warhol & V. S. Naipaul were also good.
Profile Image for Leo.
57 reviews
June 13, 2025
i liked William Atkins' piece a lot - don't beware of it.
Profile Image for Isis.
10 reviews
June 20, 2025
Very beautiful issue, the piece on Harendt especially
Profile Image for Kaltmamsell.
240 reviews55 followers
May 8, 2025
Eine mittelgute Ausgabe, das Thema "Dead Friends" bedeutet Nachrufe auf Freunde. Am meisten freute mich, dass Marlen Haushofers "Wir töten Stella" darin auftaucht, weil ich Marlen Haushofer weiterhin für unterbewertet halte.
Profile Image for Vladimir Ghinculov.
322 reviews5 followers
June 25, 2025
After reading more than ten issues of Granta I am beginning to question its good reputation. This issue has as theme Dead Friends and unfortunately the texts didn't move me, connect with me. Even the poetry was prosaic. There was a text that I liked, the one written by Michel Houellebecq.
Profile Image for Taran.
73 reviews
December 30, 2025
Pretty good issue! Susie Boyt's short story, Aatish Taseer's recollections of Naipaul, and Renata Adler's interview about Hannah Arendt were highlights. That said, they can't all be winners: I'm still really not sold on Tao Lin
Profile Image for Paul van Zwieten.
52 reviews1 follower
May 5, 2025
A very good set of stories, petry and foto's. I espcially liked: Fernanda Ebesrtadt's Burning Mao, Mark Cawson Lives by Smiler, Nowhere by Yasmina Reza and Cell Phone by Krystyna Dabrowska.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews

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