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Granta 168: Significant Other

Art & Photography | Issue 168

A Woman I Once Knew

Rosalind Fox Solomon & Lynne Tillman

‘These are not gentle, passive female bodies. They are strong women who strike poses that show aggression.’

Lynne Tillman introduces Rosalind Fox Solomon’s self-portraits.

Essays & Memoir | Issue 168

The Messiah of Cadoxton

Susan Pedersen

‘The script of script production rather followed the script of sex: it was intimate, exciting, boundary-crossing, and left the participants changed.’

Susan Pedersen on paranormal love in the Balfour family.

Essays & Memoir | Issue 168

A Journey to Ayodhya

Snigdha Poonam

‘Ask anyone in Ayodhya, and they will say the city’s Hindu–Muslim harmony can withstand any test.’

Snigdha Poonam on the construction of a Hindu temple on the ruins of a mosque in Utter Pradesh.

Fiction | Issue 168

Private View

Sophie Collins

‘Being recognised as part of a couple thrilled me; I felt legitimised. John had a life, a full life.’

Fiction by Sophie Collins.

Poetry | Issue 168

Lovers’ Quarrel

Tamara Nassar

‘Certainly we are not too old for that day / as dense as age on your bedroom floor.’

Poetry by Tamara Nassar.

From the Archive

Essays & Memoir | Issue 14

Impertinent Daughters

Doris Lessing

‘She loved examinations, came first in class, adored mathematics, and was expected for a time to become a professional pianist.’

Doris Lessing on class structures and her Victorian mother.

Essays & Memoir | Issue 131

Pause

Mary Ruefle

‘Nothing can prepare you for this.’

Mary Ruefle on menopause.

Fiction | Issue 47

The Up Escalator

Bret Easton Ellis

‘I'm standing on the balcony of Martin's apartment in Westwood, holding a drink in one hand and a cigarette in the other, and Martin comes towards me, rushes at me, and with both hands pushes me off the balcony'.

Fiction by Bret Easton Ellis.

Highlights From Granta Books

Recommended Reading

Essays & Memoir | The Online Edition

Universal Mother

Momtaza Mehri

‘I turn to O’Connor’s music when I get tired of lying to myself. Her songs are allegorical free-falls. Spiritual chiaroscuros, even.’

Momtaza Mehri on Sinéad O’Connor.

In Conversation | Issue 166 padlock

A Good First Marriage is Luck

Sheila Heti & Phyllis Rose

‘Life is so difficult. It may take more than one creature to sustain one life.’

Sheila Heti in conversation with Phyllis Rose.

Poetry | Issue 162 padlock

Ecstatic Joy and Its Variants

Peter Gizzi

‘surely this is about water jetting from a spring, / a languid rafting with no particular destination’

Poetry by Peter Gizzi.

Fiction | Issue 111

Missing Out

Leila Aboulela

‘She had held the day up with pegs; not only her day but his too.’

Fiction by Leila Aboulela.

News, Prizes and Events

Prize

When I Sing, Mountains Dance and Chilean Poet Shortlisted for Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize

When I Sing, Mountains Dance by Irene Sola (trans. Mara Faye Lethem) and Chilean Poet by Alejandro Zambra (trans. Megan McDowell) are both shortlisted for the Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize.

Prize

Our Share of Night Shortlisted for The Kitschies

Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez (trans. Megan McDowell) is shortlisted for The Kitschies Red Tentacle award, awarded to speculative, sci-fi and fantasy novels.

Prize

I’m A Fan Wins a British Book Award

I'm A Fan by Sheena Patel wins the Book of the Year: Discover Award at the British Book Awards.