Granta | The Home of New Writing

Explore Fiction

And That’s How I Became a Woman

Vigdis Hjorth

‘Finn Lykke opened the door wearing jeans and a freshly-ironed, white shirt, he had made an effort.’

Fiction by Vigdis Hjorth, translated by Charlotte Barslund.

And Of The Son

Rachel Connolly

‘There’s something in her face. Adoration? I mean, she’s drunk. But she clearly has a thing for me.’

Fiction by Rachel Connolly.

Gettysburg

Jessi Jezewska Stevens

‘One did not have high hopes for Gettysburg. Nor for Pennsylvania in general. Having grown up in Indiana, Diana felt she’d earned her condescension.’

Fiction by Jessi Jezewska Stevens.

Cult

Marcus Ong Kah Ho

‘The parties always had a good mix of men and women, although more often than not there were more good-looking women than men.’

Fiction by Marcus Ong Kah Ho.

Solo Poly

Sophie Frances Kemp

‘When you are a female this is what happens: if you are not selected to be a mate by age twenty-seven, you are asked to get on the bus.’

Fiction by Sophie Frances Kemp.

The Legion

Shaun Wilson

‘A should probably write that it hit uz like a smack in the guts, or the red mist cem down or sumet like that, but in all honesty, a can just remember feelen upset.’

New fiction by Shaun Wilson.

Not a River

Selva Almada

‘He takes the knife, cuts the barb from the body, sends it back to the depths of the river.’

An extract from Not a River by Selva Almada, translated by Annie McDermott.

Losing Irina

Aria Aber

‘I did sometimes fantasize about her Ur-wound, the traumatic memory image from which her asceticism sprung.’

Fiction from Aria Aber.

In the Unlikely Event of a Loss of Cabin Pressure

Juan S. Guse

‘News of the second contact sent the whole camp into turmoil. After long weeks spent searching in vain, a new vitality returned.’

Fiction from Juan S. Guse, translated by Gwen Clayton.

He Cleans

Valeria Gordeev

‘He cleans. Cleans the sink, cleans the plughole, takes out the sink strainer and cleans the underside.’

Fiction by Valeria Gordeev, translated by Imogen Taylor.

The Blind

Ewan Gass

‘People, he thought, swinging his legs, were only who they were in relation to other people.’

Fiction by Ewan Gass.

The Invisible Harbour

Deniz Utlu

‘Only from a distance does the observer understand the object that remained an enigma from close up.’

Fiction by Deniz Utlu, translated by Jackie Smith.

Beginning and End

Lukas Maisel

‘If she really knew how beautiful she was, she would hardly have met up with him, so it was best not to tell her.’

Fiction by Lukas Maisel, translated by Ruth Martin.