Granta 77: What We Think of America

Granta: The Magazine of New Writing #77

by Ian Jack (Editor)

The events of September 11 were terrible; their consequences might prove to be more so. But out of them has arisen what might be called the "but" sentiment, as in "It was terrible...but the Americans were asking for it/deserved it/should have expected it". You didn't have to be on the West Bank or in Kabul to hear it. The same thought was there in British and European newspapers, in the country pubs of Kent, in the bars of Barcelona and Frankfurt. An undertow of feeling was suddenly exposed: anti-Americanism. Is the US really so disliked? If so, why? Granta asked 20 distinguished writers across the world to describe how America has affected them - culturally, politically, economically, as citizens, as writers, as children and as adults, for better or worse.

Genres: Short Stories, Nonfiction, Anthologies, History

256 pages, Paperback

First published March 14, 2002

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

[Lumumba Mthembu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Highbrow stuff there but too disjointed to earn an above average review. Any collection of essays will be disjointed so it’s no fault of the book.

[Alfred · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up a bunch of old Grantas off a Brooklyn stoop a few years back. When I get bored and have no reading plan, I pick one up. Thought this was an appropriate cultural moment to read through this post-9/11 joint and see what folks think (thought), internationally, of us Yanks. Now, with Bush exposed as one of the most monumental clowns in history and Barry O at the helm of the States, I figured this would be less likely to depress me.

And it's really quite interesting. The first portion of the book is a litany of international literati just sounding off on America. With the exception of Harold Pinter's vitriol, most of the assessments are pretty balanced - the theme being that America is too vast a concept and reality, and too rife with contradiction, to pin it down one way or the other. I'll leave it at that since the chances of anyone tracking down a back copy of this book-azine is pretty slim....

Only reason this gets 4 stars instead of 5 is that the latter half of the magazine has some solid articles/pieces, but it strikes me as an arbitrary and theme-less compilation that lacks any coherent reason for being (beyond being individually well-written).

[Tyler Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a big fan. The stories, though sharing a common theme, still seem rather disjointed. I do enjoy short stories, but these are practically just a few paragraphs thrown together to form a vague narrative.

[Sheltondeverell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very provocative issue of a literary magazine called Granta, which I assume might be difficult to get your hands on, because it is thirteen years old and British. It is worth finding though, because it summarizes a pretty interesting time, and is lively and open minded about a pretty central political question: what do you think of America?

It was published back in Spring of 2002, and in the first two thirds it collects opinions by numerous correspondents. As you may remember, this was a difficult to endure for people looking at American politics; they retaliated as a reaction to the terrorist attacks in 2001. There was a legitimate anger and desire for retribution over the 911 attacks, but also there was a real danger of what the American authorities called "collateral damage". This caused a debate all over the world about American policy.

Reading this magazine, one thing that became clear is that it becomes easier to understand international points of view, when people of diverse backgrounds are interviewed about how they view America. Everybody has an opinion. It is a really complex and interesting question. I would say the question is polarizing; but that isn't exactly right. A thoughtful person sees more than one side in the issue. The USA is romanticized in so many ways: as a second world war liberator, a purveyor of movies and television, a cultural exporter in so many ways. However, even Americans themselves have incredibly mixed feelings about being an imperial power, is it right for them to intervene and police the world? The answer for many of these correspondents was highly personal and distinctive. Almost all of them have nuanced points of view, rather than unequivocally maligning or supporting America.

In the last third of the magazine, other questions are raised. There are five pieces of writing and one photo essay. Not all of these hang together thematically, but we get some thought provoking contributions that veer away from understanding America towards understanding Islam.
I felt these contributions added to my understanding of the plurality of factions and identities within Islam. How did the fundamentalist terrorist groups spring into action against America in the first place? What context germinated the motivation to attack America? The answer is full of ironies.

I found it refreshing and vital to read so many opinions.

[Tom Carrico · Rating 4 out of 5]

This issue starts with multiple small compelling essays from Europeans and Asians with reflections on America in the wake of the 9/11 tragedy. Interesting views of America as imperialist and also unrelenting in the export of its culture.

[Mike Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

a mixed bag, with Jihadis being the standout piece of writing

http://0651frombrighton.blogspot.co.u...

[Joe Donohue · Rating 5 out of 5]

"pro- and anti-Americans square off after the events of 9-11"