Granta | The Home of New Writing

Explore Essays and memoir

Goat-Herd Errant: Jim Corbett and the American borderlands

William Atkins

‘The book is a manifesto for the revival of pastoral nomadism – leading goats from pasture to pasture and surviving on their milk and wild plants.’ William Atkins on Jim Corbett’s Goatwalking.

Best Book of 1987: The Door

Hannah Williams

‘Szabó offers a veneration of the rituals of the everyday, for how pride in what we do, in how we give to others, can elevate us.’ Hannah Williams on The Door by Magda Szabó, the best book of 1987.

Best Book of Any Year: A Thousand and One Nights

Mazen Maarouf

Mazen Maarouf on why A Thousand and One Nights is the best book of any year.

Best Book of 2013:
The Crocodiles

Noor Naga

Noor Naga on why The Crocodiles by Youssef Rakha is the best book of 2013.

Best Book of 1928: Quicksand

Lucy Ives

Lucy Ives argues that Nella Larsen – author of ‘terse, obsessively observed fiction’ – penned the best book of 1928.

Best Book of 1988:
Bad Behavior

Alan Rossi

Alan Rossi on why Bad Behavior is the best book of 1988.

Best Book of 2014: H is for Hawk

Chigozie Obioma

Chigozie Obioma on Helen Macdonald’s H is for Hawk, the best book of 2014.

Best book of 2015: The Argonauts

Lucia Osborne-Crowley

Lucia Osborne-Crowley on why The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson is the best book of 2015.

Best Book of 1993: The Smell of Apples

Magogodi oaMphela Makhene

Magogodi oaMphela Makhene on Mark Behr’s The Smell of Apples.

Best Book of 1963: The Group

Julia Armfield

‘Cigarettes, lorgnons, eggs benedict, cocktails mixed with maple syrup, long spills down Lanvin suits.’ Julia Armfield on why Mary McCarthy’s The Group is the best book of 1963.

Best Book of 1962: The Pumpkin Eater

Nicole Flattery

Nicole Flattery on why Penelope Mortimer’s The Pumpkin Eater is the best book of 1962.

Best Book of 1952: The Palm-Wine Drinkard

Sandra Newman

Sandra Newman on why Amos Tutuola’s The Palm-Wine Drinkard is the best book of 1952.

Just As It Was

Lucy Scholes

‘Unnatural is as fitting a term as any to describe the life Athill went on to lead, in that the choices she makes continually push against the conventions of her upbringing, class and gender. ’