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Granta

 
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This article is about the literary magazine and publisher. For the stretch of the river known as "Granta", see River Cam.
Granta
Editor John Freeman
Categories Literary magazine
Frequency Quarterly (irregular)
Publisher Sigrid Rausing
Total circulation
(2006)		 "almost 50,000"[1]
Year founded 1889
First issue Relaunch: September 1, 1979
Country  United Kingdom
Language English
Website www.granta.com

Granta is a literary magazine and publisher in the United Kingdom whose mission centers on its "belief in the power and urgency of the story, both in fiction and non-fiction, and the story’s supreme ability to describe, illuminate and make real."[1] In 2007, The Observer stated, "In its blend of memoirs and photojournalism, and in its championing of contemporary realist fiction, Granta has its face pressed firmly against the window, determined to witness the world."[2]

Contents

History

Granta was founded in 1889 by students at Cambridge University as The Granta, edited by R. C. Lehmann (who later became a major contributor to Punch). It was started as a periodical featuring student politics, badinage and literary efforts. The name is an older form of what is today called the River Cam, the river that runs through the town. An early editor of the magazine was R. P. Keigwin, the England cricketer and Danish scholar.

In this form the magazine had a long and distinguished history. The magazine published juvenilia of several writers who later became well known, including: Bertram Fletcher Robinson; Michael Frayn; Ted Hughes; John Simpson; A. A. Milne; Sylvia Plath; and Stevie Smith.

Rebirth

During the 1970s the publication, faced with financial difficulties and increasing levels of student apathy, was rescued by a group of interested postgraduates. In 1979, it was successfully relaunched as a magazine of "new writing", with both writers and audience drawn from the world beyond Cambridge. Bill Buford (who wrote Among the Thugs originally as a project for the journal) was the editor for its first 16 years in the new incarnation; Ian Jack followed him, editing Granta from 1995 until 2007. In April 2007 it was announced that Jason Cowley, editor of the Observer Sport Monthly, would succeed Jack as editor in September 2007. Cowley redesigned and relaunched the magazine and launched a new website; in September 2008 he became editor of the New Statesman, and Alex Clark, a former deputy literary editor of The Observer, succeeded him as the publication's first female editor.[2] In late May 2009, Clark left the publication, and John Freeman, the American editor, took over.[3]

As of September 2004, Granta's circulation was 46,831. It now publishes, approximately quarterly, a distinctive mix of fiction, personal history, reportage and inquiring journalism and documentary photography.

Ownership

In 1994, Rea Hederman, owner of The New York Review of Books took a controlling stake in the magazine. In October 2005, control of the magazine was bought by Swedish-born philanthropist, anthropologist and human rights campaigner Sigrid Rausing, granddaughter of billionaire Ruben Rausing, inventor of the Tetra-Pak carton.

Granta Books

Like the magazine, Granta's book publishing imprint, puts literary integrity before commerciality. Its stated aim is to publish work that "stimulates, inspires, addresses difficult questions, and examines intriguing periods of history." Owner Sigrid Rausing has been vocal about her goal to maintain these standards for both the magazine and the book imprint, telling the Financial Times, "[Granta] will not publish any books that could not potentially be extracted in the magazine. We use the magazine as a yardstick for our books... We are no longer going to look at what sells as a sort of argument, because it seemed to me that we were in danger of losing our inventiveness about what we wanted to do.” Authors recently published by Granta Books include Simon Gray, Michael Collins, Anna Funder, Olga Tokarczuk and Tim Guest.

Granta Best of Young British Novelists

In 1983, Granta (issue #7) published a list of 20 young British novelists as names to watch out for in the future. Since then, the magazine has repeated the exercise in 1993 (issue #43) and in 2003 (issue #81). In 1996 (issue #54), Granta also published a similar list of promising young American novelists, which was repeated during 2007 (issue #97). Many of the selections have been extremely prescient, with at least 12 of those listed either winning or being shortlisted for major literary awards such as the Man Booker Prize and Whitbread Prize.

The inclusion of Adam Thirlwell and Monica Ali on the 2003 list caused some controversy, as neither had yet actually published a novel [3]. Thirlwell's debut Politics later met with mixed reviews, although Ali's Brick Lane found much success.

More controversy ensued when Dan Rhodes contacted everyone else on the 2003 list to try to get them to make a joint statement in protest against the Iraq war, which was gaining momentum at the time. Not all the writers responded, becoming one of the reasons Rhodes almost decided to quit writing altogether [4].

The 1983 list

The 1993 list

The 2003 list

Granta Best of Young American Novelists

The 1996 list

The 2007 list

Recent contributors

Recent contributors to the magazine include:

Every issue since the relaunch is still in print. Older issues are widely available in used bookstores, as well as directly from the publisher. The publishers state that some of them — Travel (issue 10) and The Family (issue 37), for example — are "significant contributions to the literature of the English language."

Issues

  1. New American Writing, 1 September 1979, ISBN 0-14-014575-3
  2. George Steiner: The Portage to San Cristobal of A.H., 1 March 1980, ISBN 0-14-014576-1
  3. The End of The English Novel, 1 March 1980, ISBN 0-14-014577-X
  4. Beyond the Crisis, 1 March 1981, ISBN 0-14-014578-8
  5. Don Bloch: The Modern Common Wind, 1 March 1982, ISBN 0-14-014579-6
  6. A Literature for Politics, 1 December 1982, ISBN 0-14-014580-X
  7. Best of Young British Novelists, 1 March 1983, ISBN 0-14-014082-4
  8. Dirty Realism: New Writing from America, 1 June 1983, ISBN 0-14-006869-4
  9. John Berger: Boris, 1 September 1983, ISBN 0-14-006880-5
  10. Travel Writing, 1 December 1983, ISBN 0-14-007052-4
  11. Milan Kundera: Greetings from Prague, 1 March 1984, ISBN 0-14-007383-3
  12. The True Adventures of the Rolling Stones, 1 June 1984, ISBN 0-14-007565-8
  13. After the Revolution, 1 September 1984, ISBN 0-14-007566-6
  14. Autobiography, 1 December 1984, ISBN 0-14-007567-4
  15. James Fenton: The Fall of Saigon, 1 March 1985, ISBN 0-14-007581-X
  16. Science, 1 June 1985, ISBN 0-14-008479-7
  17. Graham Greene: While Waiting for a War, 1 September 1985, ISBN 0-14-008480-0
  18. The Snap Revolution, 1 March 1986, ISBN 0-14-008482-7
  19. More Dirt: The New American Fiction, 1 June 1986, ISBN 0-14-008595-5
  20. In Trouble Again, 1 December 1986, ISBN 0-14-008597-1
  21. The Story-Teller, 1 March 1987, ISBN 0-14-008599-8
  22. Hanif Kureishi: With Your Tongue Down My Throat, 1 September 1987, ISBN 0-14-008602-1
  23. Home, 1 March 1988, ISBN 0-14-008604-8
  24. Inside Intelligence, 1 June 1988, ISBN 0-14-008606-4
  25. Murder, 1 September 1988, ISBN 0-14-008608-0
  26. Travel, 1 March 1989, ISBN 0-14-012356-3
  27. Death, 1 June 1989, ISBN 0-14-012358-X
  28. Birthday Special!, 1 September 1989, ISBN 0-14-012360-1
  29. Jonathan Raban: New World, 1 December 1989, ISBN 0-14-012863-8
  30. New Europe!, 1 March 1990, ISBN 0-14-013299-6
  31. The General, 1 April 1990, ISBN 0-14-013431-X
  32. History, 1 June 1990, ISBN 0-14-013856-0
  33. What Went Wrong?, 1 June 1990, ISBN 0-14-013858-7
  34. Simon Schama: Death of a Harvard Man, 1 August 1990, ISBN 0-14-013860-9
  35. John le Carré: The Unbearable Peace, 1 April 1991, ISBN 0-14-014846-9
  36. Mario Vargas Llosa: Vargas Llosa for President, 1 June 1991, ISBN 0-14-015208-3
  37. The Family, 1 September 1991, ISBN 0-14-015207-5
  38. We're So Happy!, 1 December 1991, ISBN 0-14-015211-3
  39. The Body, 1 April 1992, ISBN 0-14-014049-2
  40. Richard Ford: The Womanizer, 1 June 1992, ISBN 0-14-014054-9
  41. Biography, 1 September 1992, ISBN 0-14-014052-2
  42. Krauts!, 1 December 1992, ISBN 0-14-014056-5
  43. Best of Young British Novelists 2, 1 March 1993, ISBN 0-14-014059-X
  44. The Last Place on Earth, 1 June 1993, ISBN 0-14-014062-X
  45. Ian Hamilton: Gazza Agonistes, 1 September 1993, ISBN 0-14-014065-4
  46. Crime, 1 December 1993, ISBN 0-14-014067-0
  47. Losers, 1 March 1994, ISBN 0-14-014083-2
  48. Africa, 1 September 1994, ISBN 0-14-014084-0
  49. Money, 1 December 1994, ISBN 0-14-014085-9
  50. Fifty, 1 June 1995, ISBN 0-14-014104-9
  51. Big Men (and L.A. Women), 1 September 1995, ISBN 0-14-014108-1
  52. Food: The Vital Stuff, 1 December 1995, ISBN 0-14-014113-8
  53. News, 1 March 1996, ISBN 0-14-014133-2
  54. The Best of Young American Novelists, 1 June 1996, ISBN 0-14-014135-9
  55. Children: Blind Bitter Happiness, 1 September 1996, ISBN 0-14-014141-3
  56. What Happened to Us?: Britain's Valedictory Realism, 1 December 1996, ISBN 0-14-014143-X
  57. India!: The Golden Jubilee, 1 March 1997, ISBN 0-14-014147-2
  58. Ambition, 1 June 1997, ISBN 0-14-014148-0
  59. France: The Outsider, 1 September 1997, ISBN 0-14-014151-0
  60. Unbelievable, 1 December 1997, ISBN 0-14-014152-9
  61. The Sea, 1 March 1998, ISBN 0-14-014153-7
  62. What Young Men Do, 15 June 1998, ISBN 0-14-014154-5
  63. Beasts, 1 September 1998, ISBN 0-14-014155-3
  64. Russia: The Wild East, 1 December 1998, ISBN 0-14-014156-1
  65. London: The Lives of the City, 1 February 1999, ISBN 0-14-014158-8
  66. Truth + Lies, 1 May 1999, ISBN 0-9645611-6-6
  67. Women and Children First, 1 September 1999, ISBN 0-9645611-7-4
  68. Love Stories, 1 December 1999, ISBN 0-9645611-8-2
  69. The Assassin, 1 April 2000, ISBN 0-9645611-9-0
  70. Australia: The New New World, 1 July 2000, ISBN 1-929001-00-2
  71. Shrinks, 1 September 2000, ISBN 1-929001-01-0
  72. Overreachers, 1 December 2000, ISBN 1-929001-02-9
  73. Necessary Journeys, 1 March 2001, ISBN 0-903141-42-6
  74. Anonymous: Confessions of a Middle-Aged Ecstasy Eater, 7 July 2001, ISBN 0-903141-44-2
  75. Brief Encounters, 9 October 2001, ISBN 1-929001-05-3
  76. Music, 9 January 2002, ISBN 0-903141-48-5
  77. What We Think of America, 28 March 2002, ISBN 0-903141-50-7
  78. Bad Company, 15 June 2002, ISBN 0-903141-52-3
  79. Celebrity, 1 October 2002, ISBN 1-929001-09-6
  80. The Group: Pictures from Previous Lives, 9 January 2003, ISBN 1-929001-10-X
  81. Best of Young British Novelists 2003, 3 April 2003, ISBN 0-903141-58-2
  82. Life's Like That, 3 July 2003, ISBN 0-903141-60-4
  83. This Overheating World, 30 October 2003, ISBN 0-903141-62-0
  84. Over There: How America Sees the World, 1 January 2004, ISBN 1-929001-14-2
  85. Hidden Histories, 1 May 2004, ISBN 1-929001-15-0
  86. Film, 15 July 2004, ISBN 1-929001-16-9
  87. Jubilee, 15 October 2004, ISBN 1-929001-17-7
  88. Mothers, 15 December 2004, ISBN 1-929001-18-5
  89. The Factory, 15 April 2005, ISBN 1-929001-19-3
  90. Country Life: Dispatches from What's Left of It, 15 August 2005, ISBN 1-929001-20-7
  91. Wish You Were Here, 15 September 2005, ISBN 0-903141-80-9
  92. The View from Africa, 15 January 2006, ISBN 1-929001-22-3
  93. God's Own Countries: Are You Living In One?, 14 April 2006, ISBN 0-903141-84-1
  94. On the Road Again: Where Travel Writing Went Next, 15 July 2006, ISBN 1-929001-24-X
  95. Loved Ones, 2 October 2006, ISBN 0-903141-88-4
  96. War Zones, 15 January 2007, ISBN 0-90314-19-0
  97. Best of Young American Novelists 2, 10 May 2007, ISBN 9-780903141-92-5
  98. The Deep End, 2 July 2007, ISBN 9-780903141-94-9
  99. What Happened Next, 5 October 2007, ISBN 9-780903141-96-3
  100. Granta 100, 7 January 2008, ISBN 1-905881-00-2
  101. Granta 101, 2 April 2008, ISBN 9781905881017
  102. The New Nature Writing, 7 July 2008, ISBN 978-1905881024
  103. The Rise of the British Jihad, 1 September 2008, ISBN 978-1905881031
  104. Fathers, 1 January 2009. ISBN 978-1905881048
  105. Lost and Found, 27 March 2009, ISBN 978-1905881055
  106. Summer Reading, June 2009, ISBN 978-1929001361
  107. Chicago, September 2009, ISBN 978-1905881123

References

  1. ^ "Granta: A new chapter at the original literary journal", The Independent, December 11, 2006 (accessed March 2, 2007).
  2. ^ Stephen Brook "Granta names Alex Clark as first female editor", The Guardian, 28 May 2008.
  3. ^ Oliver Luft "Alex Clark steps down as Granta editor", The Guardian, 29 May 2009.

External links

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Major English-language arts magazines
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See also

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