Granta | The Home of New Writing

Explore Essays and memoir

Best Book of 1990: Anecdotes of Modern Art

Natalie Shapero

‘If I tell you a book is an encyclopedic and fast-paced tour of the interrelationship of making art and being in pain, need I say more?’

Best book of 1936: Locos

Ingrid Persaud

Ingrid Persaud on why Felipe Alfau’s Locos is the best book of 1936.

Best Book of 1969: Pricksongs & Descants

Lisa Taddeo

Lisa Taddeo on why Robert Coover’s Pricksongs & Descants is the best book of 1969.

When We Fight, We Have Our Children With Us

Madeline ffitch

‘We are all politically involved whether we like it or not, and children are already on the frontlines.’

Anosh Irani | Notes on Craft

Anosh Irani

‘The interiority that we keep speaking of in fiction is built on pain’

Mountains Don’t Know Borders

Lois Parshley

‘In the Balkans, the present is often perched precariously on top of the past.’

Poetry in the Beginning

Andrew Motion

Andrew Motion shares how he came to write poetry.

Letter to Razan Zaitouneh

Kamila Shamsie

PEN International’s Day of the Imprisoned Writer – we stand in solidarity with writers who have suffered persecution exercising their freedom of expression.

Ten Books that Changed the World

Martin Puchner

Martin Puchner on ten books that have changed the course of world history.

Mary O’Donoghue | Notes on Craft

Mary O’Donoghue

In this new series, we give authors a space to discuss the way they write – from technique and style to inspirations that inform their craft.

Introduction

Madeleine Thien & Catherine Leroux

Madeleine Thien and Catherine Leroux introduce Granta 141: Canada in both English and French.

Mangilaluk’s Highway

Nadim Roberts

‘They joked about how tough they’d be by the time they got home.’