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Granta: The Magazine of New Writing #151
Granta 151: Membranes
'Membrane': A porous biological interface that regulates flows between one zone and another, allowing some substances to pass and blocking others. This issue is devoted to currents of all kinds, and to barriers that check them
- GenresFictionAnthologiesPoetry
272 pages, Paperback
Published April 30, 2020
11 people are currently reading
35 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
May 18, 2020
A prescient choice of theme bearing in mind the current distancing going on.
Favourite pieces Hold Your Fire by Chloe Wilson and Clarity by Ruchir Joshi but plenty of other interesting stuff
Favourite pieces Hold Your Fire by Chloe Wilson and Clarity by Ruchir Joshi but plenty of other interesting stuff
May 24, 2020
Granta's usual mix of fact, fiction and photographs, this time focused on the idea of "membranes". These might be physical (a newt's skin), man made (borders between countries), sexual (gender transition), mental (schizophrenia) etc.. I found this to be one of the most interesting issues of the magazine that I have read and I was especially interested in the piece "Crimes of Space" that looks at "forensic architecture". Also, this issue has the smartest cover!
August 7, 2022
I've been on a Granta binge over the past couple of days and this issue also had some great pieces. I loved the interview with Eyal Weizman about forensic architecture and crimes in vs. crimes of space, and J. Robert Lennon's "The Station" which honestly, I had no idea was fiction until the last few pages. Mark Doty's essay on lost Chelsea and Arturo Soto's Border Documents, juxtaposing his father's memories of the El Paso/Jaurez border with present-day photographs were incredible explorations of loss and how memory lives with and imposes itself on shifting landscapes. I'm tempted to do something similar (on a much, much smaller scale) when I return to my post-Covid neighborhood in Portland this month. Anyway, another great issue. I've been in the habit of buying these and leaving them on the shelf until I need a shake-up and they rarely disappoint.
January 24, 2021
Membranes is a really beautiful collection of writing and imagery, forming one of Granta Magazine's more profound issues. I particularly enjoyed Mark Doty's 'You Are Here, You Are Not a Ghost' and Arturo Soto's 'Border Documents', although the real standout, that I still keep thinking about days later, was Anouchka Grose's 'Snap'.
May 13, 2020
Highlights: a very disturbing (I lost sleep) story by J Robert Lennon about being stationed on an uninhabited island; a bleakly comic account by Lydia Davis of a doomed attempt to improve her singing voice; an entertainingly dry attempt to analyse her failed relationship using advanced Freudian theory by Anouchka Grose; and a brilliant account of living in a New York that has changed so much over the years you feel like a ghost, and your memories are more real than the current reality, by poet Mark Doty. All packaged beautifully and with some photo essays and poems included. Granta does this so well.
August 7, 2020
There's no pandemic to be seen in this issue even though it got to me in May 2020 when published. But it seems to have been written pre-pandemic. This issue travels from the tinyness of a newt tissue to self, collective, nation, species, and on to cosmos. The guest editor is Rana Dasgupta so I was interested to see how this issue would be different. He certainly does a good job at achieving the aim of the collection but I can't pinpoint a different style to Sigrid Rausing - the usual Grant editor.
Tissue
The book starts with Newts just to get us grounded and bring in a bit of osmosis. The short story by Chloe Wilson called Hold Your Fire is good, thought-provoking, and entertaining. It's everything a short story should be.
Self
A man stranded on the island in Clew Bay, Co. Mayo owned by Robert Lennon is spine-tingling scary what happens.
Collective
Describes the space between a couple and outside a couple. Interesting.
Nation
Three examples of how the membranes of borders between nations have changed and are in a continuous state of flux. Even to the extent that the border between Israeli's and Palestinians is vertical. Palestinians are on the ground and their movement is very much restricted. Israeli's can travel in cars on the motorways above and the airspace above is controlled by the Israeli air force.
There's a photo-essay about the porous border between Ciudad Juarez and El Paso. The author interviews his father who remembers back to how the border between the US and Mexico worked in the 1960s and '70s. There even was a light railway between the two cities. But in the last few decades globalization put in treaties of inequality which separated the two cities of different countries.
Species
The membrane between us and other species is that we've domesticated and classified and used other species to our own purpose. Our species became more vulnerable to viruses when we domesticated animals and starter living with other species in close quarters. The first piece in the species section describes a lake split by a border between Northern Macedonia and Albania so this should really be in the section on Nation.
Cosmos
Ruchir Joshi's story about his son who killed himself is a strange fit for the cosmos section. Unless it's a reflection on what the hell are we doing here?
Tissue
The book starts with Newts just to get us grounded and bring in a bit of osmosis. The short story by Chloe Wilson called Hold Your Fire is good, thought-provoking, and entertaining. It's everything a short story should be.
Self
A man stranded on the island in Clew Bay, Co. Mayo owned by Robert Lennon is spine-tingling scary what happens.
Collective
Describes the space between a couple and outside a couple. Interesting.
Nation
Three examples of how the membranes of borders between nations have changed and are in a continuous state of flux. Even to the extent that the border between Israeli's and Palestinians is vertical. Palestinians are on the ground and their movement is very much restricted. Israeli's can travel in cars on the motorways above and the airspace above is controlled by the Israeli air force.
There's a photo-essay about the porous border between Ciudad Juarez and El Paso. The author interviews his father who remembers back to how the border between the US and Mexico worked in the 1960s and '70s. There even was a light railway between the two cities. But in the last few decades globalization put in treaties of inequality which separated the two cities of different countries.
Species
The membrane between us and other species is that we've domesticated and classified and used other species to our own purpose. Our species became more vulnerable to viruses when we domesticated animals and starter living with other species in close quarters. The first piece in the species section describes a lake split by a border between Northern Macedonia and Albania so this should really be in the section on Nation.
Cosmos
Ruchir Joshi's story about his son who killed himself is a strange fit for the cosmos section. Unless it's a reflection on what the hell are we doing here?
Read
June 24, 2020A really beautiful collection where each entry adheres to the theme of the issue more tightly than other Grantas I remember.
Tishani Doshi’s introductory poems, Emanuele Coccia’s piece about birth and metamorphosis, Kapka Kassabova’s account of the Lakes Ohrid and Prespa, Arturo Soto’s reflections and photographs of Juarez, Mayakovsky’s “Already Two” are most memorable. Also, Ruchir Joshi piece is heartbreaking. Chloe Wilson’s “Hold Your Fire” is a delight.
Tishani Doshi’s introductory poems, Emanuele Coccia’s piece about birth and metamorphosis, Kapka Kassabova’s account of the Lakes Ohrid and Prespa, Arturo Soto’s reflections and photographs of Juarez, Mayakovsky’s “Already Two” are most memorable. Also, Ruchir Joshi piece is heartbreaking. Chloe Wilson’s “Hold Your Fire” is a delight.
June 21, 2020
More evocative than the previous 150th issue, this issue was full of emotional surprises with gems of prose just waiting to be found.
September 24, 2020
I always love Granta, with its eclectic mix of fiction, essays, memoir, poetry, photography and more. Issue 151 has just arrived in New Zealand, 4 months late due to covid delivery delays. It is well worth waiting for.
My favourite three - Hold Your Fire by Chloe Wilson. The laceratingly funny story of a mother and her son. Crimes of Space by Eyal Weizman on forensic architecture. In case you are wondering, Wiki says 'Forensic Architecture is a multidisciplinary research group based at the University of London that uses architectural techniques and technologies to investigate cases of state violence and violations of human rights around the world. The group is led by architect Eyal Weizman.' And the heartbreaking Clarity by Ruchir Joshi, the author talks about the death of his son.
My favourite three - Hold Your Fire by Chloe Wilson. The laceratingly funny story of a mother and her son. Crimes of Space by Eyal Weizman on forensic architecture. In case you are wondering, Wiki says 'Forensic Architecture is a multidisciplinary research group based at the University of London that uses architectural techniques and technologies to investigate cases of state violence and violations of human rights around the world. The group is led by architect Eyal Weizman.' And the heartbreaking Clarity by Ruchir Joshi, the author talks about the death of his son.
June 18, 2020
The usual mixed bag of stories, essays, poetry and photo essays from Granta. Highlights from this include Chloe Wilson’s Hold Your Fire, J Robert Lennon’s The Station, Lydia Davis’ Learning to Sing, and Ruchir Joshi’s Clarity. Though special mention must go to Esther Woolfson for talking about “fixed-eyed, bendy-necked owls”.
May 14, 2020
Rushir Joshi's penultimate 'Clarity' ensured the impact of this, as did two or three others. Some had a near-negative effect, causing me to question my taking out another year's subscription. Ah well.
May 29, 2020
Eén van de betere - vooral J. Robert Lennon (The Station) en Ruchir Joshi (Clarity) waren de uitschieters; daarnaast ook Chloe Wilson (Hold Your Fire), Mahreen Sohail (Hair) en Lydia Davis! (Learning to Sing).
June 7, 2020
The best of the Granta! Rana Dasgupta has done a fabulous work on this edition. I loved everything about it! Right from the choice of the cover, to the mesmerising theme of membranes and beautiful short proses sliced in between!
July 18, 2020
As always, the quarterly installment of Granta contains a lot of compelling, moving fiction. Really a lot of great short stories from writers that is mostly have never heard about before but who a wonderful to be introduced to!
July 3, 2020
Another great collection of essays and short stories, my favorites were by Mark Doty, Mahreen Sohail, J. Robert Lennon, Anouchka Grose, Kapka Kassabova, and Ruchir Joshi.
August 13, 2023
I really enjoyed Tishani Doshi’s introductory poems at the beginning of most sections
January 15, 2024
I enjoyed Hold Your Fire the most. Otherwise, a mixed bag.
December 28, 2021
Favourites:
- Chloe Wilson’s short story “Hold Your Fire” (brilliant!)
- J. Robert Lenin’s short story “The Station” (very good)
- Arturo Soto’s photo story (evocative, interesting and moving)
- Kappa Kassabova’s “The Lake” (interesting)
- Richie Joshi’s “Clarity” (moving and lingering)
- Chloe Wilson’s short story “Hold Your Fire” (brilliant!)
- J. Robert Lenin’s short story “The Station” (very good)
- Arturo Soto’s photo story (evocative, interesting and moving)
- Kappa Kassabova’s “The Lake” (interesting)
- Richie Joshi’s “Clarity” (moving and lingering)
May 27, 2021
2020 was a year of barriers, visible and invisible, real and imagined, hard and permeable raising in or consciousness. Membranes is an elegant twist by Granta, pulling together an anthology that interrogates the idea of barriers. It takes the anxiety of the moment and spins it out in unexpected ways. It is a collection worth letting in.
It was an outstanding collection of fiction. A few highlights includes the unsettlingly dark and humorous Chloe Wilson Hold Your Fire was enthralling, voicing some truly terrible but inviting bad behavior. The Station was an equally unsettlig and enthralling story by J. Robert Lennon for a set of other reasons. Mark Doty offered a beautiful portrait of a city and memory. Kapka Kassabova The Lake and Steven Heighton As if in Prayer were also wonderful.
Crimes of Space was a fantastic piece of non-fiction exploring the work of Forensic Architecture and Anita Khemka presented a vivid portrait in photographs and words of Laxmi, a prominent figure in the Indian hijras community and surprisingly the Hindu nationalist political movement.
Take the time to let this collection permeate your boarders.
It was an outstanding collection of fiction. A few highlights includes the unsettlingly dark and humorous Chloe Wilson Hold Your Fire was enthralling, voicing some truly terrible but inviting bad behavior. The Station was an equally unsettlig and enthralling story by J. Robert Lennon for a set of other reasons. Mark Doty offered a beautiful portrait of a city and memory. Kapka Kassabova The Lake and Steven Heighton As if in Prayer were also wonderful.
Crimes of Space was a fantastic piece of non-fiction exploring the work of Forensic Architecture and Anita Khemka presented a vivid portrait in photographs and words of Laxmi, a prominent figure in the Indian hijras community and surprisingly the Hindu nationalist political movement.
Take the time to let this collection permeate your boarders.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews