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Granta: The Magazine of New Writing #142
West: Animalia
Animals. We love and care for them as pets, we weave them into our myths and fables and then we breed them under conditions of terrible cruelty just so we can eat them cheaply. As new developments in research into animal cognition force us to concede fewer characteristics separating us from our neighbouring species, this issue of Granta asks writers, poets and photographers to consider the complex ways we interact with the animal kingdom.
Han Kang meditates on canaries; Arnon Grunberg investigates the bloody business of slaughterhouses; Rebecca Giggs on leeches and the weather; Anjan Sundaram celebrates the life of a Rwandan 'hero chicken'; John Connell moves back home to his parents' farm.
With new fiction from Ben Lasman, Yoko Tawada and Nell Zink and new poetry from Ko Ko Thett.
Han Kang meditates on canaries; Arnon Grunberg investigates the bloody business of slaughterhouses; Rebecca Giggs on leeches and the weather; Anjan Sundaram celebrates the life of a Rwandan 'hero chicken'; John Connell moves back home to his parents' farm.
With new fiction from Ben Lasman, Yoko Tawada and Nell Zink and new poetry from Ko Ko Thett.
248 pages, Paperback
First published February 8, 2018
3 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
About the author
Sigrid Rausing
45 books52 followersSigrid Rausing is Editor and Publisher of Granta magazine and Publisher of Granta and Portobello Books. She is the author of History, Memory and Identity in Post-Soviet Estonia: The End of a Collective Farm and Everything is Wonderful, which has been translated into four different languages.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
December 12, 2020
Compelling, challenging short pieces on the animal kingdom. Through both fiction and non-fiction the authors in this collection explore the complexity of the relationship between humans and the animals we share this earth with. It is at times confronting, but always thoughtful reading. I was impressed. Slaughterhouse, The Taxidermy Museum, and Winterkill were standouts for me.
February 15, 2018
This is a collection of short stories and non-fiction articles on the topic of, as the title suggest, the animal kingdom. It's not quite as simple as that and there is some licence to explore other, related topics. We have natural history with articles about the red deer cull in Scotland, about the life of swifts that go for years without touching the ground. We have dystopian fiction about a future where American soldiers are given to taxidermists in the same way that animals are today, for exhibition, or where astronauts aren't humans who go up into space, but are beings that descend from space and take up lives amongst us.
I think my favourite was DBC Pierre's one page of memories about his pet racoon, Rocky: beautifully written and very entertaining.
I think this is my favourite of the 4 Granta magazines I have read over the last year.
I think my favourite was DBC Pierre's one page of memories about his pet racoon, Rocky: beautifully written and very entertaining.
I think this is my favourite of the 4 Granta magazines I have read over the last year.
May 16, 2018
For like half a day I thought I would try writing stories, but as usual, instead of sitting down to Do The Thing, I found it more entertaining to “scope out the market”* and see what it is like in a literary magazine.
I never heard of Granta before and I know nothing about it except that I think it’s English, the pages smell like the bookshelf in my grandma’s old house, and it is bound in such a way that makes you feel sophisticated just holding the thing.
It’s a mixture of fiction, journalism, photography, and personal reflections. But this issue at least wasn’t political. The journalism was about, like, the experience of working in slaughterhouses, culling deer, and what a swift’s life is like. The stories were a nice mixture of straight story-telling and experimental confusion. The photographic essays and art illustrations are beautifully printed. It was soothing to read.
Overall, I feel pretty lucky to have stumbled onto this thing. I think it’s only a quarterly, so maybe I’ve finally found a periodical I won’t drown under. Also, at like $17 an issue, I don’t think I could convince to buy more than four a year.
Good job, Granta! You made the perfect periodical!
* “Paw at bookstore shelves”
I never heard of Granta before and I know nothing about it except that I think it’s English, the pages smell like the bookshelf in my grandma’s old house, and it is bound in such a way that makes you feel sophisticated just holding the thing.
It’s a mixture of fiction, journalism, photography, and personal reflections. But this issue at least wasn’t political. The journalism was about, like, the experience of working in slaughterhouses, culling deer, and what a swift’s life is like. The stories were a nice mixture of straight story-telling and experimental confusion. The photographic essays and art illustrations are beautifully printed. It was soothing to read.
Overall, I feel pretty lucky to have stumbled onto this thing. I think it’s only a quarterly, so maybe I’ve finally found a periodical I won’t drown under. Also, at like $17 an issue, I don’t think I could convince to buy more than four a year.
Good job, Granta! You made the perfect periodical!
* “Paw at bookstore shelves”
January 14, 2019
Great issue. Among some great and okay fiction and non-fiction short pieces I just fell in love with THE ASTRONAUT by Christina Wood Martinez (she's almost a debutante, few short stories under her belt). I look forward for more, she's so promising.
July 27, 2025
In Other Rooms, Other Wonders, the wondrous collection by Daniyal Mueenuddin
10 out of 10
Notes and thoughts on other books are available at:
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list... and http://realini.blogspot.ro/
This collection is phenomenal and has been short listed for both The Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award.
A Spoiled Man is the last, but not least of the tales included in this fabulous fresco of Pakistan, Punjab and the fascinating people living there.
This and other narratives from the same volume are available on the New Yorker site that encourages subscription, but allows the reading of A Spoiled Man:
- http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/200...
In a way, all the stories are connected- the name Harouni is present in every one of them- and this one appears to be a continuation of Our Lady of Paris, reviewed here: http://realini.blogspot.ro/2017/07/ou...
Helene is the girlfriend of Sohail Harouni and they meet in Paris with his family- Raifa and Amjad- but Sonya is the name of his wife now and in A Spoiled Man, Sonya Harouni is experiencing problems that were anticipated for Helen.
Nevertheless, the hero of this narrative, The Spoiled Man is one of the poor villagers, named Rezak, who helps the gardeners of the Harouni property and then becomes employed and oh so privileged in getting that job
The title is actually sarcastic and reveals the discrepancy between the poor who are so grateful for small things- a plastic, cheap television and a shabby one room improvisation- in opposition with the very rich, who get truckloads of sand to be wasted on a pool party and spend their lives getting high and being useless.
Well, not all of them…the American wife, Sonya wants to help others and offers the position to the old Rezak, offers support and uses their connections when his spouse is missing, complicating and ultimately worsening his life with her intervention.
Ghulam Rasool is the majordomo of this house in the countryside, where Sonya finds refuge quite often.
When she argues with her husband, she takes off in the car and seeks solace and peace in this unusual home.
Rezak and others find it strange, for its architecture is probably trying to make it fit in and that does not make it “spectacular”.
The poor man thinks of himself as very lucky, once he obtains this position that is so well paid that he starts buying, first a radio, then a plastic TV, one and then another goat and finally has a marriage arranged for him.
Positive psychology studies have showed that those who practice gratitude become happier and the happiest men and women are grateful frequently.
The protagonist considers himself A Spoiled Man, even when his state is not far from destitution and he actually suffers a lot at one stage.
Some positive psychologists recommend that we lower our expectations and if we compare with others, select those that are in a worse position.
Rezak is thinking of his relatives, in his native village, those who have taken his rights, but would be envious now.
In fact, when a man from his home place comes near the Harouni property, the old hero invites him to see his prosperity.
That wealth is of course relative, most people in advanced countries would be included below the poverty line, if they were living like Rezak.
But, he even gets a wife and a very young one at that, a girl that has some mental disability alas and parents are willing to part with her.
In poor areas, it is difficult to feed many children and this is one is sent with no dowry, the protagonist will actually pay for her.
If in the first place Rezak finds it difficult to communicate with his spouse, who does not really talk properly, he then gets used to it.
While he is at work, the woman takes the goats out and he finds her as he returns, happy with his “spoiled condition”.
He is very appreciative and therefore happy, valuing the fact that she can cook something, massages him and he is not alone anymore…
Until one evening, when he finds that she is gone and whereas in previous days she finally returned, she is nowhere to be found.
Rezak keeps searching and has the help of four employees of Harouni, sent by Ghulam Rasool who asks for the intervention of the mistress…
And the effect is counterintuitive, even if we have to consider the corruption, uselessness of authorities in such places.
10 out of 10
Notes and thoughts on other books are available at:
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list... and http://realini.blogspot.ro/
This collection is phenomenal and has been short listed for both The Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award.
A Spoiled Man is the last, but not least of the tales included in this fabulous fresco of Pakistan, Punjab and the fascinating people living there.
This and other narratives from the same volume are available on the New Yorker site that encourages subscription, but allows the reading of A Spoiled Man:
- http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/200...
In a way, all the stories are connected- the name Harouni is present in every one of them- and this one appears to be a continuation of Our Lady of Paris, reviewed here: http://realini.blogspot.ro/2017/07/ou...
Helene is the girlfriend of Sohail Harouni and they meet in Paris with his family- Raifa and Amjad- but Sonya is the name of his wife now and in A Spoiled Man, Sonya Harouni is experiencing problems that were anticipated for Helen.
Nevertheless, the hero of this narrative, The Spoiled Man is one of the poor villagers, named Rezak, who helps the gardeners of the Harouni property and then becomes employed and oh so privileged in getting that job
The title is actually sarcastic and reveals the discrepancy between the poor who are so grateful for small things- a plastic, cheap television and a shabby one room improvisation- in opposition with the very rich, who get truckloads of sand to be wasted on a pool party and spend their lives getting high and being useless.
Well, not all of them…the American wife, Sonya wants to help others and offers the position to the old Rezak, offers support and uses their connections when his spouse is missing, complicating and ultimately worsening his life with her intervention.
Ghulam Rasool is the majordomo of this house in the countryside, where Sonya finds refuge quite often.
When she argues with her husband, she takes off in the car and seeks solace and peace in this unusual home.
Rezak and others find it strange, for its architecture is probably trying to make it fit in and that does not make it “spectacular”.
The poor man thinks of himself as very lucky, once he obtains this position that is so well paid that he starts buying, first a radio, then a plastic TV, one and then another goat and finally has a marriage arranged for him.
Positive psychology studies have showed that those who practice gratitude become happier and the happiest men and women are grateful frequently.
The protagonist considers himself A Spoiled Man, even when his state is not far from destitution and he actually suffers a lot at one stage.
Some positive psychologists recommend that we lower our expectations and if we compare with others, select those that are in a worse position.
Rezak is thinking of his relatives, in his native village, those who have taken his rights, but would be envious now.
In fact, when a man from his home place comes near the Harouni property, the old hero invites him to see his prosperity.
That wealth is of course relative, most people in advanced countries would be included below the poverty line, if they were living like Rezak.
But, he even gets a wife and a very young one at that, a girl that has some mental disability alas and parents are willing to part with her.
In poor areas, it is difficult to feed many children and this is one is sent with no dowry, the protagonist will actually pay for her.
If in the first place Rezak finds it difficult to communicate with his spouse, who does not really talk properly, he then gets used to it.
While he is at work, the woman takes the goats out and he finds her as he returns, happy with his “spoiled condition”.
He is very appreciative and therefore happy, valuing the fact that she can cook something, massages him and he is not alone anymore…
Until one evening, when he finds that she is gone and whereas in previous days she finally returned, she is nowhere to be found.
Rezak keeps searching and has the help of four employees of Harouni, sent by Ghulam Rasool who asks for the intervention of the mistress…
And the effect is counterintuitive, even if we have to consider the corruption, uselessness of authorities in such places.
February 22, 2018
Yet another provocative edition of Granta.
Think about animals, humans included. Their whys and wherefores, instincts and intelligence, life spans and "uses."
The photography serves as both thread and frame for the fiction and non-fiction. Utterly arresting eyes and views.
I so liked that the viewpoints aren't anthropomorphic. Artists really pitch themselves into other species' worlds.
Nothing's cute here. Just hard truthful.
Go into a slaughterhouse to work and understand. Fly with the swifts. Hunt red deer to cull the herd. Should human soldiers be taxidermed, too? If the tygers eat you because you've messed with habitat, is it their fault? Turtles and roosters and dogs and elephants and fish and cows and coyotes...and hungry man. But no Hungry Man microwavable dinners.
And no forgiveness for horrible error from anyone herein.
Think about animals, humans included. Their whys and wherefores, instincts and intelligence, life spans and "uses."
The photography serves as both thread and frame for the fiction and non-fiction. Utterly arresting eyes and views.
I so liked that the viewpoints aren't anthropomorphic. Artists really pitch themselves into other species' worlds.
Nothing's cute here. Just hard truthful.
Go into a slaughterhouse to work and understand. Fly with the swifts. Hunt red deer to cull the herd. Should human soldiers be taxidermed, too? If the tygers eat you because you've messed with habitat, is it their fault? Turtles and roosters and dogs and elephants and fish and cows and coyotes...and hungry man. But no Hungry Man microwavable dinners.
And no forgiveness for horrible error from anyone herein.
April 10, 2018
As suggested by the title, the theme of this edition is the animal world and our relationship with it. I really enjoyed this edition. The factual pieces were interesting and covered areas I thought I knew, including deer culling and the meat industry, from perspectives which weren’t obvious.
The fiction was even better. Several of the stories were futuristic although understandably not optimistic. Aside from the concern about the toll we are taking on the environment, an empathy towards animals was a key theme - how would we humans like to be treated in the way we treat animals?
The two standout pieces for me were by Christina Wood Martinez (The Astronaut) and Yoko Tawada (The Last Children of Tokyo). I look forward to reading Tawada’s complete novel when it’s published.
The fiction was even better. Several of the stories were futuristic although understandably not optimistic. Aside from the concern about the toll we are taking on the environment, an empathy towards animals was a key theme - how would we humans like to be treated in the way we treat animals?
The two standout pieces for me were by Christina Wood Martinez (The Astronaut) and Yoko Tawada (The Last Children of Tokyo). I look forward to reading Tawada’s complete novel when it’s published.
April 22, 2018
A generally high standard in this issue. Very varied, too with writing from all over the world all viewing animals in very different ways: nonfiction about abattoirs and culls, farm births, swifts, pets and man-killing tigers, photographs of stuffed animals being transported, miserable circus animals and detailed drawings of lots of different animals, and sci fi, alternative universe, and satirical fiction all memorable and well-written.
June 30, 2021
The thing with anthologies like the quarterly Granta publications is that they‘re always going to be a mixed bag. There were 2 stand-out essays in this collection of 32 animal-themed works, Aman Sethi‘s Tyger Tyger (about the impact on villages of India‘s tiger reserve policy) and Cal Flynn‘s Winterkill, about management of the deer population in Scotland. The rest of the collection left me unimpressed.
March 4, 2018
The first Granta I've ever come across. A fascinating anthology collecting odd bits of shortform literature. I particularly liked the story about the Astronaut, relevant in our age of Trump. I also found the story about the Dutch abbatoirs disturbing, I felt like the writer was going native.
I'm so glad to have managed to find a copy of Granta.
I'm so glad to have managed to find a copy of Granta.
March 11, 2018
This was a disappointing issue of Granta for me. Too much cruelty and death. Beautiful writing can be enough, but for me, in too many pieces in this issue, it was not.
April 9, 2018
Some beautifully written pieces, and much soul searching. I liked the way that the different pieces of writing often came from such different perspectives.
April 29, 2018
some solid stories. always good when you read a work by Stephen Dunn too.
June 4, 2018
A very strong issue, diverse and moving.
June 13, 2018
Mixed bag.
August 3, 2019
Meh. The best story was The Astronaut by Christina Wood Martinez.
Want to read
January 10, 2021As often, I'm way behind reading (Granta).
Theme on 142: Animalia! I own some British Shorthairs and an Australian Shepherd.
Theme on 142: Animalia! I own some British Shorthairs and an Australian Shepherd.
March 15, 2019
This is another excellent edition of Granta. These pieces were particularly noteworthy:
The Astronaut, Christina Wood Martinez
Issue, Cormac James
On Coyotes, Diane Cook
The Rat Snipers, Ben Lasman - standout!
The Kabul Markhor, Nell Zink - wacky, surreal, highly original
Tyger, Tyger, Aman Sethi
Swifts, Dorothea Lasky
The Astronaut, Christina Wood Martinez
Issue, Cormac James
On Coyotes, Diane Cook
The Rat Snipers, Ben Lasman - standout!
The Kabul Markhor, Nell Zink - wacky, surreal, highly original
Tyger, Tyger, Aman Sethi
Swifts, Dorothea Lasky
Read
February 7, 2018So many interesting details in the essays in this volume!
About swifts, (Adam Foulds), they rarely ever rest on solid ground, and have legs accordingly weak. About the culling of Scotland's deer population, and the opposition to it (Cal Flyn). Arnon Grunberg goes into slaughterhouses, works in them, in the Netherlands, Aman Sethi reports on tracking "maneating" tigers in India.
There is, without a lot of specific mention or details, a lot of writing about climate change, "Loggerheads", by Rebecca Giggs, discusses "atmospherics of perception", the hot sun makes for hot sand, turtles hatch, or don't, in sand.
I particularly enjoyed Diane Cook's piece 'On Coyotes' and John Connell's "The Farmer's Son".
There are several writers personal reflection on pets or animals they nurtured or knew.These stories are wonderful.
The two photo essays and their strong written introductions are powerful.
None of the fiction pieces stand out strongly, but all engaged me. Several create some not-too-distant dystopia that the animals, or humans have reconfigured reality to make up for their diminished potentials. I am weary of dystopian visions; we are living in dystopia.
Joy Williams epilogue-like imagining of Charlotte's Web was fun.
My favorite fiction piece was "The Astronaut by Christina Wood Martinez which focussed on interplanetary visitors as "the other", some ways, the same as us, but, undeniably, different, you know, like animals.
Granta 142: Animalia is a strong collection of essays that are "about animals", but, really, are all about us.
About swifts, (Adam Foulds), they rarely ever rest on solid ground, and have legs accordingly weak. About the culling of Scotland's deer population, and the opposition to it (Cal Flyn). Arnon Grunberg goes into slaughterhouses, works in them, in the Netherlands, Aman Sethi reports on tracking "maneating" tigers in India.
There is, without a lot of specific mention or details, a lot of writing about climate change, "Loggerheads", by Rebecca Giggs, discusses "atmospherics of perception", the hot sun makes for hot sand, turtles hatch, or don't, in sand.
I particularly enjoyed Diane Cook's piece 'On Coyotes' and John Connell's "The Farmer's Son".
There are several writers personal reflection on pets or animals they nurtured or knew.These stories are wonderful.
The two photo essays and their strong written introductions are powerful.
None of the fiction pieces stand out strongly, but all engaged me. Several create some not-too-distant dystopia that the animals, or humans have reconfigured reality to make up for their diminished potentials. I am weary of dystopian visions; we are living in dystopia.
Joy Williams epilogue-like imagining of Charlotte's Web was fun.
My favorite fiction piece was "The Astronaut by Christina Wood Martinez which focussed on interplanetary visitors as "the other", some ways, the same as us, but, undeniably, different, you know, like animals.
Granta 142: Animalia is a strong collection of essays that are "about animals", but, really, are all about us.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews