Granta 111: Going Back

Granta: The Magazine of New Writing #111

by John Freeman (Editor), Lawrence Joseph (Contributor), Wendell Steavenson (Contributor)

We're all seduced by the idea of going back. But can we ever trust our memories? We return (or attempt to return) to places, friends, lovers, missed opportunities, and versions of ourselves that no longer exist. Or we're haunted and shaped by the fact that returning--going back--isn't an option. Can we ever trust our memories? In this latest issue of Granta, writers meditate on these essential questions from an exciting array of vantage points. Wendell Steavenson revisits Iraq, where she follows up with the former prisoner of war she interviewed after Saddam's fall. Owen Sheers returns to Zimbabwe and the memories of family who lived there, witnessing how the country has changed in the past decade. The issue will feature new fiction by up-and-coming writer Claire Watkins, a profound essay on Detroit by the poet Lawrence Joseph, a photo essay on Shanghai, and startling memoirs and stories by the best writers from around the world.

Genres: Nonfiction, Anthologies, Literature, Short Stories

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

John Freeman is an award-winning writer and book critic who has written for numerous publications, including The New Yorker, The New York Times Book Review, The Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, and The Wall Street Journal. Freeman won the 2007 James Patterson Pageturner Award for his work as the president of the National Book Critics Circle, and was the editor of Granta from 2009 to 2013. He lives in New York City, where he teaches at NYU and edits a new literary biannual called Freeman's.

Reviews

[Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess I'm sort of unenthusiastic about this issue of Granta. It's okay, but not great. I found the Di Giovanni article on her travels back to Bosnia heartbreaking, even with the update on the Web site. Russo's remarks on his home town, its single industry factory history,and the long term effects on the community of that dependence were interesting, but not especially surprising, for an individual, like me, who left my home town (albeit in a different state) for similar reasons. Elizabeth McCracken's Property leads to a surprising ending and reexamination of the notion of the true value of what the owner is renting out. I also appreciated Hal Crowther's polemic on the "connected" generation. But otherwise, while I didn't mind reading the other pieces in this issue, they just didn't really engage me.

[Karen· · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some Grantas are better than others - this one is a cracker!
Make note: Mark Twain requested that his autobiography should not be published until 100 years after his death and that is this year, 2010. The last piece in this Granta is an excerpt from that autobiography that was poignant and wise and hilariously funny - I have put in my pre-order for Part One of the autobiography straight away!!! (Due for November I think).
And then Letters from Iris Murdoch, laying out her heart to Raymond Queneau, and some other truly cracking pieces.

[Adrian Buck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprised I didn't hear more about the publication of the uncensored version of Mark Twain's autobiography. The world went crazy when a sequel to 'To kill a mocking bird' was released. I suppose that Mark Twain was no longer under copyright.

[Susan Emmet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Decided to go back to last summer's Granta which I hadn't fully read. Again, there's work from all over the world. Loved Richard Russo's remembering of life and death in Gloversville, NY and his musings on life and change and the price so many workers paid to keep their families under a roof and in food. Amazed by Hal Crowther's scathing indictment of young people's penchant for instant hook-up and the divide between generations and loss of privacy and solitude. Touched by Iris Murdoch's letters to her lover, as well as by Claire Watkins' "The Last Thing We Need." Mark Twain appears in the end, remembering his youth in Hannibal. Janine diGiovani, a journalist and writing, brings to life the life (and death) of Sarajevo in the early 90s. Really recommend Granta (comes out four times annually) for exposure to writers and artists, old and new, from all over the world. Good read!

[Lera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked 'The Last Thing We Need', a series of letters written to a Duane Moser, at an address found in some abandoned debris by the road. Liked 'Property', about a rental. Distressed by 'The Book of the Dead', snippets from the civilian experience of the war in Sarajevo. None of the others really stuck.

[Gilgamesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some great short stories in this collection. I'm new to Granta but this is my favourite one so far.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a delight the Granta endeavour is. Weight aside, this was a perfect bag book, a glorious paper pick and mix. I particularly enjoy the effect of the photography here. Read over a long period, it is difficult to highlight fairly from such variety of form and subject even around the theme of 'Going Back'. I very much enjoyed Richard Russo's account of his home town, which did provide a satisfying context for his fiction and the final treat of an extract from Mark Twain's autobiography. This last was about to be published, as he specified, 100 years after his death and was a stunning reminder of what a brilliant writer he was.