Granta 175: Scandinavia

by Thomas Meaney

320 pages, Paperback

Published June 23, 2026

Reviews

[Kate]

had a fantastic time with this edition of granta, a very thoughtful gift for my birthday and a perfect companion during a short trip to copenhagen.

to have been introduced to so many amazing authors, poets, and photographers was a tonic. my favourite was helle helle, whose work i will be seeking out. i also loved the pieces by jon fosse, knausgard, eeva kilpi, asta olivia nordenhof, and pirkko saisio. 10/10.

[Marcus]

Lots of delights here, with contrasting moods and much variety of subject. Difficult to understand why a few pieces were included: Lars Noren, for example, was just bewildering, with multiple references to unknown characters off stage, and massive temporal leaps! I smiled at the editor's attempt to make the whole more than the sum of the parts - he identifies 'several of the themes that bind this issue together - repetition, silence, hatred, care, despair, renewal' - really?! - but the obvious (and surely sufficient) one is in the title. A helpful introduction from the editor, which taught me a lot about Scandinavian literature.

[Ray Quirolgico]

Another intriguing collection that gets a big boost from the Editor’s introduction that frames this volume in smart historical and social context. With that start, the entire issue felt like a great school lesson…in language, writing, emotion, observation, drama, and poetry.

[Jan]

Highlights: Helle Helle, Lars Noren, Kyrre Andreassen, Karl Ove Knausgård, Eeva Kilpi. Would like to read more of the diaries by Noren and Kilpi. Somehow the photo sections do not work well in Granta, layoutwise.

[Paul Dembina]

A disappointing issue. I was even thinking of a 2* rating but upped it because of the final piece, a rather affecting diary by Eeva Kilpi