Praise for Granta 109: Work
‘Why should we let the toad work squat on our lives? This latest collection from the magazine of new writing seems to have been conceived to answer Philip Larkin’s poem in a melancholic chorus of disparate literary voices. The 18 written pieces and one photographic essay do not suggest any easy answers.’
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Anita Sethi in the Independent:
‘“Love and work are the cornerstones of our humanness,” wrote Sigmund Freud, but it is love that garners more pages of literature. This wonderful anthology, exploring how work might endow or deprecate our self-worth, does much to reassert the balance, however.
Even in these times of recessionary doom and gloom, reading about business can be a pleasure. These essays and photographs are labours of love.’
Adrian Turpin in the Financial Times:
‘Highlights include novel extracts from Julian Barnes and Joshua Ferris … Salman Rushdie weighs in with some playful musings on sloth and supermodels. But the two most openly enjoyable pieces are memoir: Aminatta Forna’s moving account of the last veterinary surgeon in Sierra Leone and Colum McCann’s beautifully concise piece about treading in the footsteps of his journalist father and finding a balance between work and play. All proof that writing about the daily grind needn’t be a grind.’
Roger Cox in Scotland on Sunday:
‘One of several gems in this work-themed edition of Granta is a short essay by Steven Hall, What I Think About When I Think About Robots, in which he meets some of today's foremost AI experts, and – more importantly – some of their creations. This merging of occupation and identity crops up all over Granta 109 … The most chilling examination of the occupation-identity link here is Martin Kimani's The Work Of War, in which he tries to understand the brutal efficiency of the Rwandan genocide.’
Allison Hallett in The Portland Mercury:
‘While a commitment to “new” work isn't reflected in their choice of contributors (the table of contents is packed with familiar names), a commitment to quality most certainly is—their winter issue is a ranging, thought-provoking collection of fiction, nonfiction, photography, and verse.
Salman Rushdie manages to come across like a much smarter version of your drunken uncle, pontificating on the deadly sin of “sloth”.
Alarcón's study is fascinating and even-handed, as he investigates the many sides of the issue, from the pirates who don't read the books they're pirating, to authors who worry about declining book sales, but are secretly flattered when their books get pirated.
Ferris will be at Powell's this week … reading from his novel—proof, if you needed it, of the range and relevance of this collection.’
Granta deputy editor Ellah Allfey and contributor Aminatta Forna interviewed about Granta 109.
Financial Times ‘Life & Arts’ section:
Joyce Carol Oates keeps Granta 109 close at hand!
The Lady 125th anniversary issue:
Aminatta Forna chooses Granta as essential bedside reading:
‘There isn’t really anywhere else you can find essays of this type and quality.’
... also recommended by the Baby Got Books blog