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Explore Essays and memoir

The Canvas Bag

Inigo Thomas

‘It was given to her by her Japanese captors after the Fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942 to pack the few possessions she was allowed to take with her to prison.’

Notes on Craft

Paul Dalla Rosa

‘I feel like I’m haunting an empty building, inert, waiting for each room to burst into flames.’

Murasaki’s Paper Trail

Martin Puchner

Martin Puchner on how Murasaki Shikibu, a lady-in-waiting at the Japanese court, manage to write the first great novel of world literature.

Fred Pearce | Notes on Craft

Fred Pearce

‘For a hack like me, book-length meta-journalism is both a luxury and a challenge. I cannot hide my own views over 100,000 words, even if I want to.’

Introduction

Sigrid Rausing

Editor and publisher Sigrid Rausing introduces Granta 144: genericlovestory.

What Silence Knows

Anthony Shadid

‘Words can’t quite re-create the smell of war. I have found myself trying to wash it out of my hair, off my fingers. More than once, I have run water over the soles of my shoes.’

Africa Writes

Caitlin Pearson

The Royal African Society takes a look back at the history of the Africa Writes festival, their annual celebration of contemporary literature from Africa and the diaspora.

The Man Who Lived

Snigdha Poonam

Snigdha Poonam on how WhatsApp is being used to encourage mob violence in India.

Introduction

Sigrid Rausing

Sigrid Rausing introduces Granta 143: After the Fact.

Mother’s Death

Stephen Sharp

‘Last year father attacked me as a “wet radish”. This caused me to give up writing diary entries.’

The Editor’s Chair: On Svetlana Alexievich

Jacques Testard

‘It is clear when reading Svetlana Alexievich that she has a deep empathy for the characters whose stories she tells.’

In the Valley of Coachella

Susan Straight

Novelist Susan Straight and photographer Douglas McCulloh on the presidential streets of the ‘real’ Coachella

Pay for Your Words

Peter Pomerantsev

Peter Pomerantsev downloads his Facebook data. ‘We seem to be caught in a trap: the more we use a word, the more we will be charged for it.’

Poppy

Caroline Criado Perez

'I never worried about my flat catching fire before Poppy came along.' Caroline Criado Perez on her pet Poppy.