Granta 152: Still Life (Granta: The Magazine of New Writing) by Sigrid Rausing

Granta 152: Still Life (Granta: The Magazine of New Writing) Reviews

• 
  Paul Dembina

  One of the best issues I've read of Granta (and I've read pretty much all of them)
• 
  Neil Kenealy

  As always with Granta, it's a variety of photography, non-fiction, fiction, and poems. Has the pandemic allowed us to see better and appreciate the close-ups of trees in one photo-essay and still life watercolors in another? Maybe we pay attention better in lockdown. So these pieces resonate more and it's the non-fiction in this collection stands out most.
  
  Spring by China Mieville and 1, April 2020 by Michael Hoffman are very good pieces about life in the 2020 pandemic. Not sure if they will stand the test of time but Granta is for now.
  
  Le Flottement by Janine di Giovanni is a brilliant piece by a war journalist suddenly forced to stop moving. It starts with the summer of 1999, during the post-war period in Serbia following the NATO bombing, and continues up to her thoughts in the 2020 lockdown.
  
  Daughter of Radium by Joe Dunthorne is about his grandmother who is from Oranienburg just north of Berlin which was a key site of the Nazi war effort and much bombed by the Allies. His grandmother moved to Scotland after the war.
  
  The best of the fiction is by Adam Nicholson and David Means. David Means' story is told from the dog's point of view and it's that different perspective that makes it good. The was lost and found again and didn't really know what was going on - probably would be how a dog thinks.
  
  The Fearful Summer by Adam Nicholson is a fictional piece about the plague in England in 1625. There's a haunting image of a man digging his own grave outside his house and lying in it. This was to save his relations the trouble of his burial because he was a bit on the heavy side. It's a haunting image and puts pandemic 2020 into perspective.
• 
  T P Kennedy

  A very good Granta indeed. It's a wonderful reflection of the times we're living in. The collection is varied while grave in tone. The Tejo Cole photographs and refections were memorable as were the still lives by Leanne Sharpton. The Ockert and Haddon stories were challenging but great reads. The Means story written from a dog's perspective was good fun and well done. All round a very good mix.
• 
  Sarah

  Such a marker for the weird time we’re in. It’s helped me understand more about myself and the world, which is all you can really ask for from a book.
• 
  Conrad

  I've been reading Granta since my college days. This is a standout issue. It captures our pathos, humour and humanity, with grace, unexpected moments, and viral beauty. Enjoyed Teju Cole and some wonderful, short, new discoveries for me like Viken Berberian. Also great fiction from Emma Cline whose novel, The Girls, I loved.
• 
  Chris

  I found the pieces in this volume subtle reflections on the current state of society: pandemic, plague, lockdown, loss, isolation. The stories deal with such topics, either set in the current time, or dealing with isolation. Joanna Kavenna’s “The Perfect Companion”, about an AI friend, Jason Ockert’s “Golden Vulture”, about a boy seeking riches and healing, David Means’ “Clementine, Carmelita, Dog” about, well, a dog’s life, and Ann Beattie’s “How Things End”, are standouts in fiction. Joe Dunthorne’s “Daughter of Radium” about his family’s escape from Oranienburg, the chemical, nuclear research center of Nazi Germany, and Wiktoria Wojchechowska’s photos (with Lisa Halliday’s introduction) of the Mussolini-hewn Littoria/Latina city are the highlights in non-fiction.
  I loved Rachel Long’s poem “Communion”.
  Leanne Shapton’s series of paintings, with which this Granta shares its name, are haunting.
  China Miéville has a thoughtful consideration of those early days of pandemic.
• 
  Sandrine

  A splendid issue as the lockdown... continues. It will be remembered long after.
• 
  Charliecat

  I've been reading Granta for years and almost every edition contains something striking and worthwhile. This edition is not one of the best, but still OK. 'Still Life' is loosely themed around issues arising from the pandemic and lockdown.
  
  I really enjoyed Leanne Sharon's black-wash still life pictures and found them very evocative.
  
  David Means' story of a dog lost, found and then found again, but told from the dog's point of view was well done, but for me spoiled by dropping out of the dog's character to explain the dog's smell universe. It broke the flow.
  
  I also greatly enjoyed Janine Dr Giovanni's short piece, 'Le Flottemont' and China Mieville's essay, 'Spring'.
  
  The other pieces were good, but didn't stand out.
• 
  Ray Quirolgico

  Perfectly titled for an issue compiled during a COVID-19 lockdown, this collection allowed for some very welcome escapes from pandemic life: several stories felt like voyages into other worlds by way of very divergent perspectives (human and animal) given in memories, travels, and dreams.
• 
  H. Maderos

  Sacred reading during our modern plague, though I was not sure what to make of Emma Cline's pornographic fiction. Is it meant to shock?
• 
  Caleb

  A great collection of pieces that ask the reader to stop and pause. They made for a rich distraction in a time when slowing down and being made to stop is being demanded of so many.
  
  Highlights for me included
  Emma Cline's A/S/L which was delightful with hints of darkness and danger. It captured the contemporary malaise we love to consume in tabloids and associated celebrity and wealth culture. It made a great opening to the collection.
  
  
  Joanna Kavenna offers a great take on isolation, tech, and AI with The Perfect Companion. It was playful but scratched at bigger conversation about how we relate to the digital others increasingly inhabiting our livers.
  
  Empathy, connection and perspective weaved through Clementine, Carmelita, Dog in a way that was unexpectedly evocative. It was a masterful reframing of the experience and emotion by
  David Means.
  
  As a classics graduate I spent a fair bit of time pouring over the photographs intête-à-tête and loved
  Diana Matar short reflection on portraiture, the intimacy of the genre, what it can captures and what it can miss.
  
  
  Sam Sax kills it with Poem Written from Inside a Leather Pig Mask, capture queer moment moments and experience with honesty and poetic wit.
• 
  Sandra

  Leanne Shapton's cover sent me wishing to get my watercolours out again, reminding me of the faintly magical effects of peeling off the sickly-coloured, faintly unpleasant masking fluid; her story, accompanying further illustrations, a delight.
  
  Other major pluses: Teja Cole's 'Arbus', Diana Mata's 'Tete-a-Tete', Jaine di Giovanni's 'Le Flottement', and a further three moderately enjoyable pieces, rendered this definitely worthwhile.
• 
  John Kelleher

  Has trouble getting through this issue about the pandemic mainly because the pandemic has caused low level anxiety and impacted the ability to focus. As always some fine pieces and photos yet i found many lacking and a grind to get though. Much like i will be in our current state, was glad when it was over.
• 
  Martin von Haller Groenbaek

  Not the best Granta edition that I have read.
• 
  Ramona Cantaragiu

  Not much for me to cling to in this issue. Maybe a bit too still for my taste.
• 
  Gavin McMinn

  3.5
• 
  Amy

  first print issue of granta i've ever read (thanks to the stranger in my neighborhood giving away extra copies!) enjoyed the nonfiction and photography; found the fiction kind of dark and unmemorable, though "clementine, carmelita, dog," did make me cry. and not sure how i feel about the heavy focus on the pandemic/pandemic art in general. but all things considered, still a satisfying experience to read a literary magazine cover to cover!
• 
  Raquel Frescia

  Granta 152 is a literary magazine that explores the theme of "Still Life." The issue features a variety of works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, all of which explore the theme of stasis and the quiet moments that make up our lives.
  One of the strengths of this issue is the quality of the writing. The authors included in the collection are all accomplished and talented writers, and their work showcases a range of styles and approaches to the theme.
  
  The issue also features some thought-provoking and emotionally resonant pieces. From Emma Cline's poignant meditation on a childhood friend's death in "What Can You Do with a General" to A.M. Homes' wry and incisive exploration of ageing in "A Prize for Every Player," there are many pieces in the collection that will stay with readers long after they've finished reading.
  
  However, I think some of the pieces in the collection are too abstract or opaque, making them difficult to engage emotionally. Additionally, the issue can be somewhat uneven in terms of pacing and tone, with some pieces feeling a bit disjointed or out of place.
  
  Overall, Granta 152 is a well-crafted and thought-provoking issue that showcases the talents of some of the best writers working today. While it may not be for everyone, those looking for a literary exploration of the theme of still life will likely find much to appreciate here.
• 
  Johan Sanders

  Een heel goed nummer - volgende stukken kon ik het meest waarderen:
  * Emma Cline 'A/S/L'
  * Joanna Kavenna 'The Perfect Companion'
  * Joe Dunthorne 'Daughter of Radium'
  * Ann Beattie 'How Things End'