Granta 173: India

by Thomas Meaney

India is familiar ground for Granta, having devoted two classic issues to the country, though much has changed since the last dispatch, published on the cusp of the Modi era.

173 will feature exceptional contemporary fiction and poetry in translation, as well as articles dedicated to the Indian space program; the bloody twilight of the Naxalites in Jharkhand; archaeology wars, Bollywood, jingoism, and national myth-making; the murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia; the delicate and fraught care for an ailing parent; as well as a historical introduction by the editor that situates contemporary controversies and aesthetic fault lines in perspective. Plus, in-depth interviews with leading writers and historians, alongside work from emerging and established photographers. Contributors will be drawn from across the country, with a focus on vernacular authors as opposed to the elite enclaves of Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.

Genres: Fiction

332 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 6, 2025

Reviews

[Paul Dembina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good edition overall and in this case I think it's pointless for me to pick out specific articles for praise as, for me, this issue works well as whole. Giving a holistic view of various aspects of India.

[Debjit Banerjee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favourites-

I Am My Mother’s Older Brother - Sujatha Gidla

Come Rain, Come Down - Yash Sheth

Under the Ruins - Raghu Karnad

Transformations - Umesh Solanki

All at Once - Geetanjali Shree

Homa - Devika Rege

[Daniel Gore · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual with recent editions of Granta, some of the writing fails to live up to Thomas Meaney's fabulous and insightful introduction.

But some of it certainly does: the Vivek Shanbhag extract and Jeyamohan story were highlights, along with the article about Hardeep Singh Nijjar's murder.

[Benjamin Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fave.: A Measure of Martyrdom by Vivek Shanbhag.

[Marcus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than several recent Grantas, I thought. It has a genuine and meaningful organising theme (quite a varied and capacious sampling of Indian languages, cultures, histories), several high quality pieces of fiction, fascinating insights into contemporary India, and many interesting takes on the challenges and rewards of translation. Amongst the 30+ pieces, I really enjoyed Sujatha Gidla's account of her changing relationship with her mother, and Dayanita Singh's astonishing photos of the Pandals

[Kaltmamsell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gefiel mir sehr gut, weil es zahlreiche Facetten des heutigen literarischen Indiens beleuchtet, das geprägt wird von einem immer deutlicheren Ein-Parteien-System unter Premierminister Narendra Modi und seiner Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Wieder legt Herausgeber Thomas Meaney einen Schwerpunkt auf den Aspekt Übersetzung, in diesem Fall vor dem Hintergrund der indischen Vielsprachigkeit: Kurze Zwischenkapitel beleuchten diese Sprachen jeweils aus der Sicht eines spezialisierten Übersetzers oder einer Übersetzerin, jeweils aufgehängt an einem Wort oder Ausdruck in ihrer Sprache, der sich nicht übersetzen lässt. Sehr erhellend.

[Chris]

An interesting symposium on the languages of India and the challenges of translation. The poetry was good. The stories were okay, though the Jeyamohan story was brutal, and maybe memorable for that reason alone. Anyway, If you’re looking to learn more about India, this is a good volume.