Granta 133: What Have We Done

excellent issue that i read end to end i usually read some of any current Granta issue but rarely end to end with two pieces that stayed with me a non fiction account of killing for a small piece of land in Maramures pentru o palma de pamant or literally a hand s breath of land and a fiction piece by David Szalay about a Belgian academic and his Polish journalist girlfriend, but all the rest and the nature pictures are worth checking out 9there is a moving account of the death of a beached whale [...]

3.5 rounded upThe nonfiction pieces on Sellafield, Alaska, the beached whale and murders over farming land in Romania were all brilliant I really liked the taxidermy photo series too like is perhaps the wrong word, but they were excellent photographs The only parts I didn t particularly enjoy were the two longer short stories by Ben Marcus and David Szalay.

This is a stunning issue of Granta, full of key questions about self, relationships, nature and horrific stuff we humans wreak on each other.I ll begin with the last pieces by Roger Deakin, offered by his executor Robert Macfarlane Writer and conservationist, Deakin has an affinity to the world and to words that is priceless I don t want things to die, to become extinct I want to breathe new life into things and fight to defend their life With words and deeds, he did.Barry Lopez The Invitation T [...]

Litt vanskelig helt umulig rettferdig gi stjerner til slike samlinger, spesielt n r man leser dem over fire m neder, p do, en novelle her, et dikt der, et essay der Innbiller meg like fult at denne javnt over er svakere enn man kan forvente Husker kun et par av historiene en novelle jeg faktisk likte, et eller annet om hvaler og at folk veldig ofte dreper hverandre i nabofeider i Romania.

One of the better onesEnjoyed almost all of this one Especially the nature writing Two stories about history professors living the past would stand on their own, but it seemed odd to have them in the same volume.

Another excellent issue of one the best Lit Mags out there As per usual, it is the journalism that stands out, but the fiction had some gems as well The hilarious, yet kind of disturbing photo series from the National Taxidermy Competition in Missouri Highlights include George and Elizabeth , Ben Marcus amusing portrait of a man dealing with his father s death, compounded on his existing ineptitude in life, compared to his sister, an immoral, yet successful CEO Whale Fall by Rebecca Giggs, a hau [...]

Another great collection The environmental pieces, by Barry Lopez, on traveling with indigenous people, Rebecca Giggs, writing about a beached whale, and Fred Pearce on the nuclear disaster of Sellafield are excellent I enjoyed Kathleen Jamie s piece on the Yup ik of Alaska The Hand s Breath Murders, about deadly land disputes in Romania, though well written and accompanied by photos, seemed sensationalist The photo essay on taxidermy was witty The fiction in this issue was very good, particular [...]

This issue of Granta is a tour de force It is one of the slimmer issues, but quality reigns The pieces are very powerful some horrifying, some moving In the former category, did you know that there is a nuclear meltdown waiting to happen in northern Great Britian I did not, until I read The Legacy Gulp The Hand s Breadth Murders is similarly grim Whale Fall and Upriver are moving examples in this impressive collection of essays.For fiction, George and Elizabeth and The Middle Ages are also exce [...]

Liked this issue s focus on the environment Fred Pearce s piece on the safety or lack thereof for the Sellafield nuclear site was downright scary Also intrigued by Adam Nicolson s investigation of the murders in rural Romania In addition, I liked the story by David Szalay Two good issues of Granta in a row.

When I saw the author lineup for this issue, I was pretty excited, and I was not let down Even the Ben Marcus story was not bad he was the one author I was too keen on I think the piece that sticks with me most is Rebecca Giggs account of a dying whale Overall all the pieces in this collection fit nicely in the theme suggested by the title.

The nonfiction wins this one Rebecca Giggs in particular Her bio mentions a forthcoming book, but the net is painfully silent Two other stand out sections are Fred Peace s story on a nuclear site in Cumbria and Adam Nicholson s piece on tiny, but frequently murderous land disputes in rural Romania.

More thought provoking and requiring concentration than other issues of Granta that I ve read.A great collection that speaks of the chasm of horror and disbelief as we stand on the precipice of a difficult future that we ve contributed to.

I loved the Barry Lopez piece and the Whale Fall piece in particular I ve been reading lit mags recently, and I love the combination of short fiction and nonfiction and poetry A perfect little literary bundle of variety.

interesting stories about sellafield, Romanian land squabbles, fascinating photos of taxidermy championship

Solid issue, my first one back after a few years break from Granta I especially like The Hand s Breadth Murders.

Strong issue the piece on Sellafield was fascinating, as were the photos of the national taxidermy championships.

Wasn t the strongest 50 50 decent dull.