Shows
GrantaKaran Mahajan, The Granta PodcastIn this episode of the Granta Podcast we speak to Karan Mahajan, author of Family Planning, The Association of Small Bombs and the forthcoming The Complex. Mahajan’s essay ‘The Killing of a Canadian Sikh’, on an extrajudicial killing in Surrey, Canada, appeared in Granta 173: India.We discuss his forthcoming novel, the Khalistani separatist movement, Salman Rushdie’s influence and the relationship between India and the US.Leo Robson is a cultural journalist whose work has appeared in the London Review of Books, the New Yorker, and the New Left Rev...
2025-12-1949 minGrantaKaran Mahajan, The Granta PodcastIn this episode of the Granta Podcast we speak to Karan Mahajan, author of Family Planning, The Association of Small Bombs and the forthcoming The Complex. Mahajan’s essay ‘The Killing of a Canadian Sikh’, on an extrajudicial killing in Surrey, Canada, appeared in Granta 173: India.We discuss his forthcoming novel, the Khalistani separatist movement, Salman Rushdie’s influence and the relationship between India and the US.Leo Robson is a cultural journalist whose work has appeared in the London Review of Books, the New Yorker, and the New Left Rev...
2025-12-1949 min
GrantaZoe Dubno, The Granta PodcastIn this episode of the Granta Podcast we speak to Zoe Dubno, author of Happiness and Love (2025), whose short story ‘The Full Package’ appeared in Granta 166: Generations.We discuss her novel, Happiness and Love, its relationship to Thomas Bernhard’s Woodcutters, and the differences between homage and appropriation.Leo Robson is a cultural journalist whose work has appeared in the London Review of Books, the New Yorker, and the New Left Review, among other publications. He is the author of The Boys (2025).Josie Mitchell is senior editor...
2025-11-1435 minGrantaZoe Dubno, The Granta PodcastIn this episode of the Granta Podcast we speak to Zoe Dubno, author of Happiness and Love (2025), whose short story ‘The Full Package’ appeared in Granta 166: Generations.We discuss her novel, Happiness and Love, its relationship to Thomas Bernhard’s Woodcutters, and the differences between homage and appropriation.Leo Robson is a cultural journalist whose work has appeared in the London Review of Books, the New Yorker, and the New Left Review, among other publications. He is the author of The Boys (2025).Josie Mitchell is senior editor...
2025-11-1435 min
GrantaGuadalupe Nettel, The Granta PodcastIn this episode of the Granta Podcast we speak to Guadalupe Nettel, author of four novels and three collections of short stories, including the most recent collection The Accidentals.We discuss her novel, Still Born, as well as her stories, ‘The Wanderers’, ‘Divination’ and ‘Bonsai’, as well as her approach to the politics of motherhood, realism and exile in her writing.Leo Robson is a cultural journalist whose work has appeared in the London Review of Books, the New Yorker, and the New Left Review, among other publications. He is the author o...
2025-10-0248 minGrantaGuadalupe Nettel, The Granta PodcastIn this episode of the Granta Podcast we speak to Guadalupe Nettel, author of four novels and three collections of short stories, including the most recent collection The Accidentals.We discuss her novel, Still Born, as well as her stories, ‘The Wanderers’, ‘Divination’ and ‘Bonsai’, as well as her approach to the politics of motherhood, realism and exile in her writing.Leo Robson is a cultural journalist whose work has appeared in the London Review of Books, the New Yorker, and the New Left Review, among other publications. He is the author o...
2025-10-0248 min
GrantaDiane Williams, The Granta PodcastIn this episode of the Granta Podcast we speak to Diane Williams, author of eleven books of fiction, including the short story collection I Hear You’re Rich.We discuss the four short stories Diane Williams contributed to the summer issue, Granta 172: Badlands, as well as her various collections, her love of surprise in fiction and the porosity between her identity as a writer and an editor.Leo Robson is a cultural journalist whose work has appeared in the London Review of Books, the New Yorker, and the New Left Rev...
2025-08-0143 minGrantaDiane Williams, The Granta PodcastIn this episode of the Granta Podcast we speak to Diane Williams, author of eleven books of fiction, including the short story collection I Hear You’re Rich.We discuss the four short stories Diane Williams contributed to the summer issue, Granta 172: Badlands, as well as her various collections, her love of surprise in fiction and the porosity between her identity as a writer and an editor.Leo Robson is a cultural journalist whose work has appeared in the London Review of Books, the New Yorker, and the New Left Rev...
2025-08-0143 min
GrantaTao Lin, The Granta PodcastIn this episode of the Granta Podcast we speak to Tao Lin, the author of ten books, including Leave Society and Taipei.We discuss two of Tao Lin’s recent essays, ‘My Spiritual Evolution’, and ‘Gian’, which appeared in Granta 171: Dead Friends, as well as the effects of psychedelics and the possibilities of reincarnation.Leo Robson is a cultural journalist whose work has appeared in the London Review of Books, the New Yorker, and the New Left Review, among other publications. He is the author of The Boys (2025).Josie Mi...
2025-07-1154 minGrantaTao Lin, The Granta PodcastIn this episode of the Granta Podcast we speak to Tao Lin, the author of ten books, including Leave Society and Taipei.We discuss two of Tao Lin’s recent essays, ‘My Spiritual Evolution’, and ‘Gian’, which appeared in Granta 171: Dead Friends, as well as the effects of psychedelics and the possibilities of reincarnation.Leo Robson is a cultural journalist whose work has appeared in the London Review of Books, the New Yorker, and the New Left Review, among other publications. He is the author of The Boys (2025).Josie Mi...
2025-07-1154 min
GrantaSusie Boyt, The Granta PodcastIn this episode of the Granta Podcast we speak to Susie Boyt, the author of seven novels, most recently Loved and Missed, and the memoir My Judy Garland Life.We discuss Susie Boyt’s short story, ‘All Being Well’, from Granta 171: Dead Friends, and consider the function of ghosts, Henry James, and how to be mourned.Leo Robson is a cultural journalist whose work has appeared in the London Review of Books, the New Yorker, and the New Left Review, among other publications. He is the author of The Boys (2025).Josie Mi...
2025-05-2945 minGrantaSusie Boyt, The Granta PodcastIn this episode of the Granta Podcast we speak to Susie Boyt, the author of seven novels, most recently Loved and Missed, and the memoir My Judy Garland Life.We discuss Susie Boyt’s short story, ‘All Being Well’, from Granta 171: Dead Friends, and consider the function of ghosts, Henry James, and how to be mourned.Leo Robson is a cultural journalist whose work has appeared in the London Review of Books, the New Yorker, and the New Left Review, among other publications. He is the author of The Boys (2025).Josie Mi...
2025-05-2945 min
GrantaNico Walker, The Granta PodcastIn this episode of the Granta Podcast, we speak to Nico Walker, author of the novel Cherry. We discuss Nico Walker’s essay ‘Mucker Play’, published in Granta 170: Winners, which considers American football as a reflection of the country’s violence, the intimate relationship between the military and sport, and how athletes cultivate their public image, from Deion Sanders to Jim Thorpe.Leo Robson is a cultural journalist whose work has appeared in the London Review of Books, the New Yorker, and the New Left Review, among other publications. His first novel wil...
2025-03-3139 minGrantaNico Walker, The Granta PodcastIn this episode of the Granta Podcast, we speak to Nico Walker, author of the novel Cherry. We discuss Nico Walker’s essay ‘Mucker Play’, published in Granta 170: Winners, which considers American football as a reflection of the country’s violence, the intimate relationship between the military and sport, and how athletes cultivate their public image, from Deion Sanders to Jim Thorpe.Leo Robson is a cultural journalist whose work has appeared in the London Review of Books, the New Yorker, and the New Left Review, among other publications. His first novel wil...
2025-03-3139 min
GrantaDeclan Ryan, The Granta PodcastGranta 170: Winners is out this week. In this episode, we speak to Declan Ryan about his essay on the British heavyweight boxing today, ‘The Hurt Business’, which appears in the magazine's new sports issue. You can read the essay discussed in this episode here. Follow these links to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.Declan Ryan is the author of Crisis Actor, a poetry collection published with Faber in 2023. Josie Mitchell is senior editor at Granta. Leo Robson is a cultural journalist whose work has appeared in the London...
2025-02-2852 minGrantaDeclan Ryan, The Granta PodcastGranta 170: Winners is out this week. In this episode, we speak to Declan Ryan about his essay on the British heavyweight boxing today, ‘The Hurt Business’, which appears in the magazine's new sports issue. You can read the essay discussed in this episode here. Follow these links to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.Declan Ryan is the author of Crisis Actor, a poetry collection published with Faber in 2023. Josie Mitchell is senior editor at Granta. Leo Robson is a cultural journalist whose work has appeared in the London...
2025-02-2852 min
GrantaWang Xiaoshuai, The Granta PodcastIn this episode of the Granta Podcast, we speak to the film director Wang Xiaoshuai, known for the films Beijing Bicycle (2001) and So Long, My Son (2019). We discuss Wang Xiaoshuai’s thoughts on the porosity between literature and cinema, and the challenges facing independent filmmakers today. Follow these links to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.Leo Robson is a cultural journalist whose work has appeared in the London Review of Books, the New Yorker, and the New Left Review. Josie Mitchell is senior editor at Granta.
2025-01-3044 minGrantaWang Xiaoshuai, The Granta PodcastIn this episode of the Granta Podcast, we speak to the film director Wang Xiaoshuai, known for the films Beijing Bicycle (2001) and So Long, My Son (2019). We discuss Wang Xiaoshuai’s thoughts on the porosity between literature and cinema, and the challenges facing independent filmmakers today. Follow these links to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.Leo Robson is a cultural journalist whose work has appeared in the London Review of Books, the New Yorker, and the New Left Review. Josie Mitchell is senior editor at Granta.
2025-01-3044 min
GrantaAllen Bratton, The Granta PodcastIn this episode of the Granta Podcast, we speak to Allen Bratton, whose short stories Barbarism and Honeymoon have been published online at granta.com. His debut novel Henry Henry was published in 2024.We discuss Shakespearean adaptations, the fine line between humour and cruelty and the legacy of the British aristocracy.Leo Robson is a cultural journalist whose work has appeared in the London Review of Books, the New Yorker, and the New Left Review, among other publications. His first novel will be published in 2025.Josie Mitchell is senior editor at Granta.
2024-11-2947 minGrantaAllen Bratton, The Granta PodcastIn this episode of the Granta Podcast, we speak to Allen Bratton, whose short stories Barbarism and Honeymoon have been published online at granta.com. His debut novel Henry Henry was published in 2024.We discuss Shakespearean adaptations, the fine line between humour and cruelty and the legacy of the British aristocracy.Leo Robson is a cultural journalist whose work has appeared in the London Review of Books, the New Yorker, and the New Left Review, among other publications. His first novel will be published in 2025.Josie Mitchell is senior editor at Granta.
2024-11-2947 min
GrantaAlan Hollinghurst, The Granta PodcastIn this episode of the Granta Podcast, we speak to Alan Hollinghurst, author of seven novels including The Swimming-Pool Library, the Booker Prize-winning The Line of Beauty and Our Evenings, which was published in 2024. We discuss his new novel, writing from the outsider's perspective and cataloguing the chapters of queer life from the mid-century to now. Follow these links to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.Leo Robson is a cultural journalist whose work has appeared in the London Review of Books, the New Yorker, and the New Left Review.
2024-10-1842 minGrantaAlan Hollinghurst, The Granta PodcastIn this episode of the Granta Podcast, we speak to Alan Hollinghurst, author of seven novels including The Swimming-Pool Library, the Booker Prize-winning The Line of Beauty and Our Evenings, which was published in 2024. We discuss his new novel, writing from the outsider's perspective and cataloguing the chapters of queer life from the mid-century to now. Follow these links to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.Leo Robson is a cultural journalist whose work has appeared in the London Review of Books, the New Yorker, and the New Left Review.
2024-10-1842 min
GrantaRachel Kushner, The Granta PodcastIn this episode of the Granta Podcast, we speak to the novelist and essayist Rachel Kushner, author of the books The Mars Room, The Flamethrowers, Telex from Cuba and The Hard Crowd. Her latest novel, Creation Lake, will be published in September 2024.We discuss her story, ‘The True Depth of a Cave’, which appeared in Granta 167: Extraction, as well as the mysteries of prehistory and the variance between abstract and mimetic art in fiction. Follow these links to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.Leo Robson is a cultural journalist whos...
2024-09-0548 minGrantaRachel Kushner, The Granta PodcastIn this episode of the Granta Podcast, we speak to the novelist and essayist Rachel Kushner, author of the books The Mars Room, The Flamethrowers, Telex from Cuba and The Hard Crowd. Her latest novel, Creation Lake, will be published in September 2024.We discuss her story, ‘The True Depth of a Cave’, which appeared in Granta 167: Extraction, as well as the mysteries of prehistory and the variance between abstract and mimetic art in fiction. Follow these links to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.Leo Robson is a cultural journalist whos...
2024-09-0548 min
GrantaBenjamin Kunkel, The Granta PodcastIn this episode of the Granta podcast we speak to the novelist and journalist Benjamin Kunkel, author of Indecision (2005) and co-founder of the journal n+1.We discuss his short story ‘Prairie Dogs’ (Granta 167: Extraction), his return to writing fiction, involuntarily becoming a ‘Marxist public intellectual’ and being politicised by literature. Follow these links to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.Leo Robson is a cultural journalist whose work has appeared in the London Review of Books, the New Yorker, and the New Left Review. Josie Mitchell is senior editor at...
2024-07-3147 minGrantaBenjamin Kunkel, The Granta PodcastIn this episode of the Granta podcast we speak to the novelist and journalist Benjamin Kunkel, author of Indecision (2005) and co-founder of the journal n+1.We discuss his short story ‘Prairie Dogs’ (Granta 167: Extraction), his return to writing fiction, involuntarily becoming a ‘Marxist public intellectual’ and being politicised by literature. Follow these links to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.Leo Robson is a cultural journalist whose work has appeared in the London Review of Books, the New Yorker, and the New Left Review. Josie Mitchell is senior editor at...
2024-07-3147 min
GrantaSheila Heti, The Granta PodcastIn this episode of the Granta Podcast, we speak to the novelist Sheila Heti, author of the books How Should a Person Be?, Motherhood and Pure Colour. Her latest book, Alphabetical Diaries, was published in 2024.We discuss her new book, along with her interview with the academic Phyllis Rose that appeared in Granta 166: Generations. You can find all of Heti's contributions to the magazine here.Follow these links to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.Leo Robson is a cultural journalist whose work has appeared in the London Review of...
2024-06-2846 minGrantaSheila Heti, The Granta PodcastIn this episode of the Granta Podcast, we speak to the novelist Sheila Heti, author of the books How Should a Person Be?, Motherhood and Pure Colour. Her latest book, Alphabetical Diaries, was published in 2024.We discuss her new book, along with her interview with the academic Phyllis Rose that appeared in Granta 166: Generations. You can find all of Heti's contributions to the magazine here.Follow these links to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.Leo Robson is a cultural journalist whose work has appeared in the London Review of...
2024-06-2846 min
GrantaAndrew O’Hagan, The Granta PodcastIn this episode of the Granta Podcast, we speak to the novelist and journalist Andrew O’Hagan, author of seven novels and several books of non-fiction. We discuss his short story, ‘The Sensitivity Reader’ (Granta 166: Generations), and the new novel Caledonian Road (2024), both of which explore the value of challenging the established narrative as a journalist, and the capacity for fiction to offer different forms of truth. You can read ‘The Sensitivity Reader’ here.Follow these links to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.Leo Robson...
2024-05-3149 minGrantaAndrew O’Hagan, The Granta PodcastIn this episode of the Granta Podcast, we speak to the novelist and journalist Andrew O’Hagan, author of seven novels and several books of non-fiction. We discuss his short story, ‘The Sensitivity Reader’ (Granta 166: Generations), and the new novel Caledonian Road (2024), both of which explore the value of challenging the established narrative as a journalist, and the capacity for fiction to offer different forms of truth. You can read ‘The Sensitivity Reader’ here.Follow these links to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.Leo Robson...
2024-05-3149 min
GrantaLauren Oyler, The Granta PodcastIn this episode of the Granta Podcast, we speak to the novelist and critic Lauren Oyler, author of No Judgement (2024) and Fake Accounts (2024), about living in Berlin, the boundary between our private and public selves, and the trajectory of autofiction. We also discuss Oyler’s essay, ‘Last Week at Marienbad’, which appeared in Granta 165: Deutschland. You can read ‘Last Week at Marienbad’ here.Follow these links to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.Leo Robson is a cultural journalist whose work has appeared in the London...
2024-04-3044 minGrantaLauren Oyler, The Granta PodcastIn this episode of the Granta Podcast, we speak to the novelist and critic Lauren Oyler, author of No Judgement (2024) and Fake Accounts (2024), about living in Berlin, the boundary between our private and public selves, and the trajectory of autofiction. We also discuss Oyler’s essay, ‘Last Week at Marienbad’, which appeared in Granta 165: Deutschland. You can read ‘Last Week at Marienbad’ here.Follow these links to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.Leo Robson is a cultural journalist whose work has appeared in the London...
2024-04-3044 min
GrantaBrandon Taylor, The Granta PodcastIn this episode of the Granta Podcast, we speak to the novelist Brandon Taylor, author of Real Life (2020) and The Late Americans (2023), about naturalism, the future of fiction, and the connection between Émile Zola and The Sims.We also discuss Taylor’s short story ‘Stalin, Lenin, Robespierre’, which appeared in Granta 166: Generations.You can read ‘Stalin, Lenin, Robespierre’ here.Follow these links to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
2024-03-2250 minGrantaBrandon Taylor, The Granta PodcastIn this episode of the Granta Podcast, we speak to the novelist Brandon Taylor, author of Real Life (2020) and The Late Americans (2023), about naturalism, the future of fiction, and the connection between Émile Zola and The Sims.We also discuss Taylor’s short story ‘Stalin, Lenin, Robespierre’, which appeared in Granta 166: Generations.You can read ‘Stalin, Lenin, Robespierre’ here.Follow these links to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
2024-03-2250 min
GrantaSandra Newman: The Granta Podcast Ep. 92Sandra Newman is the author of the novels The Only Good Thing Anyone Has Ever Done, Cake, The Country of Ice Cream Star and four non-fiction books including the memoir Changeling. Her most recent novel The Heavens is published by Granta Books. She spoke to Lucy Diver about friendship, love, hope and how to write like an Elizabethan.
2019-06-2820 min
GrantaKamila Shamsie: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 90Kamila Shamsie is the author of seven novels and one book of non-fiction. Among many other accolades, Kamila is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and in 2013 was named a Granta Best of Young British Novelist. She joined us in the Granta offices for an interview about her new novel Home Fire, published by Bloomsbury. Home Fire was longlisted for the 2017 Man Booker Prize.
2017-11-2430 minGrantaKamila Shamsie: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 90Kamila Shamsie is the author of seven novels and one book of non-fiction. Among many other accolades, Kamila is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and in 2013 was named a Granta Best of Young British Novelist. She joined us in the Granta offices for an interview about her new novel Home Fire, published by Bloomsbury. Home Fire was longlisted for the 2017 Man Booker Prize.
2017-11-2430 min
GrantaMax Porter reads Will Self: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 89In this episode of the Granta podcast, Max Porter, author of Grief is the Thing with Feathers reads ‘False Blood’ by Will Self. Diagnosed with a rare blood condition, Self attends weekly ‘venesections’ (the modern-day equivalent of bloodletting) which inspire morbid thoughts on addiction and disease. The story can be found in full on our website: https://granta.com/false-blood/ Will Self is the author of numerous novels, most recently Phone. In 1993 he was named as one of Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists. Max Porter is the author of Grief is the Thing With Feathers, which was shortliste...
2017-11-1434 minGrantaMax Porter reads Will Self: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 89In this episode of the Granta podcast, Max Porter, author of Grief is the Thing with Feathers reads ‘False Blood’ by Will Self. Diagnosed with a rare blood condition, Self attends weekly ‘venesections’ (the modern-day equivalent of bloodletting) which inspire morbid thoughts on addiction and disease. The story can be found in full on our website: https://granta.com/false-blood/ Will Self is the author of numerous novels, most recently Phone. In 1993 he was named as one of Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists. Max Porter is the author of Grief is the Thing With Feathers, which was shortliste...
2017-11-1434 min
GrantaMargo Jefferson reads Kathleen Collins: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 88In this episode of the Granta podcast, Margo Jefferson, author of Negroland, reads Kathleen Collins’s short story, ‘The Uncle’, taken from the collection Whatever Happened to Interracial Love? Kathleen Collins was a pioneer African-American playwright, film-maker, civil rights activist and educator. You can read more work by Kathleen Collins on our website: granta.com/whatever-happened-to-interracial-love/
2017-07-1909 minGrantaMargo Jefferson reads Kathleen Collins: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 88In this episode of the Granta podcast, Margo Jefferson, author of Negroland, reads Kathleen Collins’s short story, ‘The Uncle’, taken from the collection Whatever Happened to Interracial Love? Kathleen Collins was a pioneer African-American playwright, film-maker, civil rights activist and educator. You can read more work by Kathleen Collins on our website: granta.com/whatever-happened-to-interracial-love/
2017-07-1909 min
GrantaAndrea Stuart: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 87In this episode of the Granta podcast, Josie Mitchell speaks with Andrea Stuart about her essay ‘Travels in Pornland’. They discuss the value of feminist porn, the importance of counter narratives and the challenges faced by feminist pornographers. The essay was first published in August 2016. You can read the essay in full on our website: https://granta.com/travels-in-pornland/
2017-07-0412 minGrantaAndrea Stuart: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 87In this episode of the Granta podcast, Josie Mitchell speaks with Andrea Stuart about her essay ‘Travels in Pornland’. They discuss the value of feminist porn, the importance of counter narratives and the challenges faced by feminist pornographers. The essay was first published in August 2016. You can read the essay in full on our website: https://granta.com/travels-in-pornland/
2017-07-0412 min
GrantaDiane Williams: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 85In this edition of the Granta podcast, editor Luke Neima talks to Diane Williams, the author of eight books of fiction and founder and editor of the distinguished literary annual NOON. Diane reads from her latest book, Fine, Fine, Fine, Fine, Fine, and discusses her approaches to writing and editing, the gatekeepers of literary publication and stitching.
2017-02-2717 min
GrantaGranta Reads: Darcey Steinke’s ‘Frankenstein’s Mother’For the second episode of the Granta Reads’ Halloween series, Eleanor Chandler reads Darcey Steinke’s essay ‘Frankenstein’s Mother’, which explores the relationship between mother and monster.
Darcey Steinke is the author of the novels Sister Golden Hair, Milk, Jesus Saves, Suicide Blonde and Up Through the Water, as well as the memoir Easter Everywhere. She lives in New York.
2016-10-2800 min
GrantaGranta Reads: Angela Carter’s ‘Cousins’In this Halloween edition of the Granta podcast, Josie Mitchell reads Angela Carter’s 1980 short story, ‘Cousins’ – the first in a series of classic horror stories from our archive.
‘Cousins’ was later featured in Carter’s seminal Black Venus story collection with the title ‘Peter and the Wolf’, and forms part of her famous ‘wolf quartet’.
2016-10-2100 min
GrantaMadeleine Thien: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 83In this edition of the Granta Podcast, editor Ka Bradley speaks with Madeleine Thien about her book, Do Not Say We Have Nothing, which has recently been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. They talk about translating the sensation of music for a reader, the importance of writing about women of colour, and the Chinese conceptual framework of time.
2016-10-0323 min
GrantaAstrid Alben: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 82In this edition of the Granta podcast we speak to Astrid Alben, who reads a selection from her book of poetry Plainspeak, discusses her work as a translator and as an editor of the interdisciplinary journal Pars, shares a poem by Valérie Rouzeau – translated from the French by Susan Wicks – and explains how she develops her poetic alter ego.
2016-09-1921 min
GrantaSally Rooney and Joanna Walsh: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 80Sally Rooney and Joanna Walsh: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 80 by Granta Magazine
2016-07-0613 minGrantaSally Rooney and Joanna Walsh: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 80Sally Rooney and Joanna Walsh: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 80 by Granta Magazine
2016-07-0613 min
GrantaOur Private Estate, read by Dave Lordan: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 93Author Dave Lordan reads his story, ‘Our Private Estate’, from the online edition of Granta 135: New Irish Writing.
2016-06-0700 min
GrantaNew Irish Writing: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 79Ireland has one of the world's most distinguished literary traditions. In Granta 135: New Irish Writing, we showcase contemporary Irish fiction, memoir, poetry and photography.For the launch of the issue, Granta and Foyles hosted Peggy Hughes, Sally Rooney, Lucy Caldwell and Sara Baume in a discussion about their work, the state of Irish writing and the place of technology in literature. Audio production by Adam Barr.
2016-05-0925 minGrantaNew Irish Writing: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 79Ireland has one of the world's most distinguished literary traditions. In Granta 135: New Irish Writing, we showcase contemporary Irish fiction, memoir, poetry and photography.For the launch of the issue, Granta and Foyles hosted Peggy Hughes, Sally Rooney, Lucy Caldwell and Sara Baume in a discussion about their work, the state of Irish writing and the place of technology in literature. Audio production by Adam Barr.
2016-05-0925 min
GrantaNo Man’s Land: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 78Last year we celebrated the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, but the legacy of war and communism lives on in eastern Europe. In the new issue of Granta – No Man’s Land – Peter Pomerantsev writes about propaganda in Ukraine’s Donbas region, where pro-Russian activists battle with pro-Ukrainian, pro-democracy activists and Ukrainian nationalists, whilst Philip Ó Ceallaigh tells the devastating story of the Communist destruction of Old Bucharest. They joined us for the launch of the new issue at the Frontline Club in London.Both writers encounter people who are longing for a strong le...
2016-03-0217 min
GrantaVictor LaValle reading 'Long Distance' from Granta 110: SexVictor LaValle reading 'Long Distance' from Granta 110: Sex.
2015-06-2300 min
GrantaYukiko Motoya: The Granta Podcast Episode 89Yukiko Motoya is a novelist, playwright and stage director. She leads her own theatre company, Gekidan Motoya Yukiko, which she founded in 2000. Her story collection Arashi no pikunikku (The Devil's Picnic) was awarded the Kenzaburō Ōe Prize in 2013.
Here, she talks to Elmer Luke about her short story for Granta 127: Japan, finding freedom in writing and happy endings, with interpretation by Asa Yoneda.
‘I’d get convinced that I had to write about really big, serious, important issues. So in order to get beyond that stage where I was really feeling the pressure of the feeling of wanting to write, I spen...
2014-06-0600 min
GrantaHiromi Kawakami: The Granta Podcast Ep. 76Hiromi Kawakami is a novelist, haiku poet, literary critic and essayist. Her books include 'Manazuru, Pasuta mashiin yūrei' ('Pasta Machine Ghosts') and 'Sensei no kaban' ('The Briefcase'), published as 'Strange Weather in Tokyo' by Portobello Books in the UK. She was awarded the 1996 Akutagawa Prize for 'Hebi o fumu' (Tread on a Snake).Here, she talks to Granta Books editor Anne Meadows on her essay for Granta 127: Japan, the presence of death in her work and the influence of Gabriel García Márquez, with interpretation by Asa Yoneda.'I never really thought about death or mortality, but com...
2014-05-2014 minGrantaHiromi Kawakami: The Granta Podcast Ep. 76Hiromi Kawakami is a novelist, haiku poet, literary critic and essayist. Her books include 'Manazuru, Pasuta mashiin yūrei' ('Pasta Machine Ghosts') and 'Sensei no kaban' ('The Briefcase'), published as 'Strange Weather in Tokyo' by Portobello Books in the UK. She was awarded the 1996 Akutagawa Prize for 'Hebi o fumu' (Tread on a Snake).Here, she talks to Granta Books editor Anne Meadows on her essay for Granta 127: Japan, the presence of death in her work and the influence of Gabriel García Márquez, with interpretation by Asa Yoneda.'I never really thought about death or mortality, but com...
2014-05-2014 min
GrantaRuth Ozeki: The Granta Podcast Ep. 75Ruth Ozeki is the author of 'My Year of Meats', 'All Over Creation' and 'A Tale for the Time Being', which was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. For Granta’s Japan issue, she wrote an essay on her grandfather: about a mysterious photograph she has of him and about the ways she feels linked to him across time.In the latest Granta podcast, she reads from the piece and discusses it alongside her latest novel, 'A Tale for the Time Being', touching on haiku, feminist Buddhist nuns, memory, the idea of cu...
2014-03-3138 minGrantaRuth Ozeki: The Granta Podcast Ep. 75Ruth Ozeki is the author of 'My Year of Meats', 'All Over Creation' and 'A Tale for the Time Being', which was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. For Granta’s Japan issue, she wrote an essay on her grandfather: about a mysterious photograph she has of him and about the ways she feels linked to him across time.In the latest Granta podcast, she reads from the piece and discusses it alongside her latest novel, 'A Tale for the Time Being', touching on haiku, feminist Buddhist nuns, memory, the idea of cu...
2014-03-3138 min
GrantaMark Gevisser and Jonny Steinberg: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 74In the latest Granta podcast, Mark Gevisser and Jonny Steinberg discuss recent South African history, their personal relationship to Johannesburg, and their personal relationship to a divided city. Mark Gevisser is the author of 'A Legacy of Liberation: Thabo Mbeki and the Future of the South African Dream', published by Palgrave Macmillan in the UK, and by Jonathan Ball in South Africa under the title, 'Thabo Mbeki: The Dream Deferred'. His latest book, 'Dispatcher', is published by Granta. Jonny Steinberg is the author of several books about South Africa's transition to democracy. His next book, 'A Man of Good...
2014-03-1337 minGrantaMark Gevisser and Jonny Steinberg: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 74In the latest Granta podcast, Mark Gevisser and Jonny Steinberg discuss recent South African history, their personal relationship to Johannesburg, and their personal relationship to a divided city. Mark Gevisser is the author of 'A Legacy of Liberation: Thabo Mbeki and the Future of the South African Dream', published by Palgrave Macmillan in the UK, and by Jonathan Ball in South Africa under the title, 'Thabo Mbeki: The Dream Deferred'. His latest book, 'Dispatcher', is published by Granta. Jonny Steinberg is the author of several books about South Africa's transition to democracy. His next book, 'A Man of Good...
2014-03-1337 min
GrantaLindsey Hilsum: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 73Lindsey Hilsum is International Editor of Channel Four News and the author of ‘Sandstorm: Libya in the Time of Revolution’.In 1994 she was the only English-speaking Foreign Correspondent working in Rwanda when the genocide began. Her essay in the latest issue of Granta tells of her return to the country 19 years after the conflict.Here we talk about her time in Rwanda, Libya and how countries can repair in the aftermath of war. The podcast begins with Lindsey reading from her essay ‘The Rainy Season’, in Granta 125: After the War.‘I think that for me there were a lot of things...
2013-10-2224 minGrantaLindsey Hilsum: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 73Lindsey Hilsum is International Editor of Channel Four News and the author of ‘Sandstorm: Libya in the Time of Revolution’.In 1994 she was the only English-speaking Foreign Correspondent working in Rwanda when the genocide began. Her essay in the latest issue of Granta tells of her return to the country 19 years after the conflict.Here we talk about her time in Rwanda, Libya and how countries can repair in the aftermath of war. The podcast begins with Lindsey reading from her essay ‘The Rainy Season’, in Granta 125: After the War.‘I think that for me there were a lot of things...
2013-10-2224 min
GrantaJuan Pablo Villalobos: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 72In the latest Granta podcast, we’re joined by Juan Pablo Villalobos, author of 'Down the Rabbit Hole', which was nominated for the 2011 Guardian First Book Award and, most recently, 'Quesadillas'.Here, Villalobos talks about parodying Mexican identity, the difficulty of translation and class struggle in Mexico. ‘The worst thing wasn’t being poor; the worst thing was having no idea of the things you can do with money.’
2013-09-1830 min
GrantaEleanor Catton: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 71Eleanor Catton’s debut novel, The Rehearsal, was shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award, and the Dylan Thomas Prize, longlisted for The Orange Prize and received a Betty Task award. Her second novel, The Luminaries, has been shortlisted for the 2013 Man Booker prize. Here, Granta Books editor Anne Meadows talks to Catton about opium sand gold, the ideas of the modern and the archaic, whether a good author can also be a sadist, and what it means to be a New Zealand writer today. ‘I am very firm in the belief that literature is not a compe...
2013-09-1055 min
GrantaLina Wolff: The Granta Podcast Ep. 70Granta speaks to Lina Wolff, author of the story collection 'Många människor dör som du' ('Many Pepole Die Like You') and the novel 'Bret Easton Ellis och de andra hundarna' ('Bret Easton Ellis and the Other Dogs'). Wolff writes in Swedish, and her story in the issue is based in Spain. Here she discusses the tension she felt between a ‘Spanishness’ and ‘Swedishness’, when writing and between a rational way of being and a magical way of thinking. She also discusses Lorca, Dante, literary travellers and their guides and the idea of irrationality...
2013-08-2740 min
GrantaSonia Faleiro: The Granta Podcast Ep. 69In the latest Granta podcast, Saskia Vogel speaks to Sonia Faleiro, a contributor to the Travel issue and a reporter. Faleiro is the author of a book of fiction, The Girl, and one book of non-fiction, Beautiful Thing: Inside the Secret World of Bombay’s Dance Bars. She talks about how her gender influences her work and how she started out as a reporter. She also discusses the way we tell stories about women who use their bodies in to earn a living, Bombay’s complex sex industry and the idea of marginalized narratives.‘How we perceive people eventually influe...
2013-08-2133 min
GrantaRobert Macfarlane: The Granta Podcast Ep. 68In the latest Granta podcast, Rachael Allen speaks to travel writer Robert Macfarlane. Macfarlane is the author of Mountains of the Mind, The Wild Places and most recently, The Old Ways. Macfarlane talks about ‘Underland’, his essay in Granta 124: Travel, which sees him exploring the underground caves of Karst country, and the different approaches writers take to show landscape through language. ‘When you're dealing with a geological context,’ says Macfarlane ‘its age exceeds your knowing, exceeds your comprehension. Deep time is dizzying and vertiginous.’
2013-08-0917 minGrantaRobert Macfarlane: The Granta Podcast Ep. 68In the latest Granta podcast, Rachael Allen speaks to travel writer Robert Macfarlane. Macfarlane is the author of Mountains of the Mind, The Wild Places and most recently, The Old Ways. Macfarlane talks about ‘Underland’, his essay in Granta 124: Travel, which sees him exploring the underground caves of Karst country, and the different approaches writers take to show landscape through language. ‘When you're dealing with a geological context,’ says Macfarlane ‘its age exceeds your knowing, exceeds your comprehension. Deep time is dizzying and vertiginous.’
2013-08-0917 min
GrantaRebecca Solnit: The Granta Podcast Ep. 67In the latest Granta podcast, Yuka Igarashi speaks to writer, journalist and activist Rebecca Solnit. Solnit is the author of numerous books about art, landscape, ecology and politics. They include A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities that Arise in Disaster; A Field Guide to Getting Lost; Wanderlust: A History of Walking; Infinite City, a book of 22 maps with nearly 30 collaborators; and, most recently The Faraway Nearby, published this June. Solnit discusses how her new book interweaves personal narratives about family and illness with stories about Mary Shelley and Che Guevara. We also talk about her interest in...
2013-06-1740 min
GrantaA.M. Homes: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 66In the latest Granta podcast, Yuka Igarashi talks to A.M. Homes, the recipient of this year’s Women’s Prize for Fiction for May We Be Forgiven. Homes is the author of the novels This Book Will Save Your Life, Music for Torching, The End of Alice, In a Country of Mothers and Jack; the story collections The Safety of Objects and Things You Should Know; and the memoir The Mistress’s Daughter (Granta Books). As a followup to an interview when May We Be Forgiven was published, they spoke about what winning the prize means to her. They a...
2013-06-0732 minGrantaA.M. Homes: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 66In the latest Granta podcast, Yuka Igarashi talks to A.M. Homes, the recipient of this year’s Women’s Prize for Fiction for May We Be Forgiven. Homes is the author of the novels This Book Will Save Your Life, Music for Torching, The End of Alice, In a Country of Mothers and Jack; the story collections The Safety of Objects and Things You Should Know; and the memoir The Mistress’s Daughter (Granta Books). As a followup to an interview when May We Be Forgiven was published, they spoke about what winning the prize means to her. They a...
2013-06-0732 min
GrantaGeorge Saunders: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 65On the latest Granta podcast we hear from George Saunders. One of the finest, funniest writers of his generation, he writes stories that pulse with outsized heart, crackle with the ad-speak and eek out the human story from the lives of theme-park workers and the subjects of strange drug tests that enhance libido and eloquence. His books include CivilWarLand in Bad Decline, In Persuasion Nation, Pastoralia and most recently Tenth of December. He has also published a book of essays, The Braindead Megaphone. Here he spoke to online editor Ted Hodgkinson about allowing his characters access to goodness, why...
2013-06-0552 min
GrantaJenni Fagan: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 62Continuing our series of podcasts on the Best of Young British Novelists 4, we hear from Jenni Fagan. Fagan’s critically acclaimed debut novel, The Panopticon, was published in 2012 and named one of the Waterstones Eleven, a selection of the best fiction debuts of the year. Her poetry has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and her collection The Dead Queen of Bohemia was named 3:AM magazine’s Poetry Book of the Year. She holds an MA in creative writing from Royal Holloway, University of London, and currently lives in a coastal village in Scotland. ‘Zephyrs’, in the issue, is an excer...
2013-05-2326 min
GrantaKamila Shamsie: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 61Continuing our Best of Young British Novelists we hear from Kamila Shamsie. Shamsie is the author of five novels. The first, In the City by the Sea, was published by Granta Books in 1998 and shortlisted for the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize. Her most recent novel, Burnt Shadows, was shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction and translated into more than twenty languages. She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, a trustee of English PEN and a member of the Authors Cricket Club. ‘Vipers’, in the issue, is an excerpt from a forthcoming novel. Here she talks to J...
2013-05-2322 min
GrantaRoss Raisin: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 60Ross Raisin’s first novel, God’s Own Country, about a disturbed adolescent living in the Yorkshire Dales, won him the 2009 Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award, the Guardian First Book Award, a Betty Trask Award and numerous other prizes. His second novel, Waterline, about a former shipbuilder grieving the death of his wife in Glasgow, was published to critical acclaim in 2011. His short stories have been published in Prospect, Esquire, Dazed & Confused, the Sunday Times, on BBC Radio 3 and in Granta. In this podcast, he spoke to Yuka Igarashi about how he evokes place and inhabits char...
2013-05-2220 minGrantaRoss Raisin: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 60Ross Raisin’s first novel, God’s Own Country, about a disturbed adolescent living in the Yorkshire Dales, won him the 2009 Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award, the Guardian First Book Award, a Betty Trask Award and numerous other prizes. His second novel, Waterline, about a former shipbuilder grieving the death of his wife in Glasgow, was published to critical acclaim in 2011. His short stories have been published in Prospect, Esquire, Dazed & Confused, the Sunday Times, on BBC Radio 3 and in Granta. In this podcast, he spoke to Yuka Igarashi about how he evokes place and inhabits char...
2013-05-2220 min
GrantaBen Markovits: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 57Benjamin Markovits is the author of six books: The Syme Papers, Either Side of Winter and Playing Days as well as a trilogy on the life of Lord Byron — Imposture, A Quiet Adjustment, and Childish Loves. He is also the only Granta Best of Young Novelists who is known to be able to dunk. In this podcast with Yuka Igarashi, he discusses his time playing minor-league basketball for a team in southern Germany, and the ways in which this and his other experiences inform his work as a writer. He also talks about his new novel, extracted in the is...
2013-05-2130 min
GrantaAdam Thirlwell: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 55Our latest instalment of podcasts for our Best of Young British Novelist features Adam Thirlwell. Thirlwell is the author of the novels Politics and The Escape, the novella Kapow!, and a project with international novels that includes an essay-book, Miss Herbert and a compendium of translations edited for McSweeney’s. He was selected as one of Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists back in 2003. Here she spoke to Granta’s Yuka Igarashi about sex, history, translation, using tempo in novels and how his writing has evolved over the past decade.
2013-05-1733 minGrantaAdam Thirlwell: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 55Our latest instalment of podcasts for our Best of Young British Novelist features Adam Thirlwell. Thirlwell is the author of the novels Politics and The Escape, the novella Kapow!, and a project with international novels that includes an essay-book, Miss Herbert and a compendium of translations edited for McSweeney’s. He was selected as one of Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists back in 2003. Here she spoke to Granta’s Yuka Igarashi about sex, history, translation, using tempo in novels and how his writing has evolved over the past decade.
2013-05-1733 min
GrantaSarah Hall: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 54In our latest installment of podcasts featuring our Best of Young British Novelists, we speak to Sarah Hall. Hall was born in Cumbria and lives in Norwich. She is the multiple-prize-winning author of four novels: Haweswater, The Electric Michelangelo, The Carhullan Army (published in the US as Daughters of the North) and How to Paint a Dead Man; a collection of short stories, The Beautiful Indifference, original radio dramas and poetry. Here she spoke to Granta’s Saskia Vogel about wolves, tattoos and the wilds of Cumbria.
2013-05-1635 min
GrantaNaomi Alderman: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 50In the latest Granta Podcast we bring you an interview with Best of Young British Novelist, Naomi Alderman. Described by Rachel Seiffert as ‘someone who can do funny’, Alderman is the author of three novels: Disobedience, The Lessons and The Liars’ Gospel. She writes and designs computer games and is co-creator of Zombies, Run!, the best-selling iPhone fitness game and audio adventure. A professor of creative writing at Bath Spa University, she has been paired with Margaret Atwood in the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative. Here, Alderman speaks to deputy editor Ellah Allfrey about her engagement with the worl...
2013-04-2931 min
GrantaTaiye Selasi: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 49Continuing a series of podcasts featuring our Best of Young British Novelists, today we bring you an interview with Taiye Selasi. Selasi was born in London to Nigerian and Ghanaian parents. She made her fiction debut in Granta in 2011 with ‘The Sex Lives of African Girls’, which was selected for Best American Short Stories in 2012. Her first novel, Ghana Must Go, was published in March 2013. Here she spoke to deputy editor Ellah Allfrey about her mother’s garden, Rachmaninov and learning to speak Italian.
2013-04-2325 min
GrantaThe Ethics of Photojournalism: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 57Photojournalists bear witness at the front line of human experience. But when does photojournalism become exploitative? On the Granta Podcast this week we bring you a recording of an art salon at the Hospital Club London, which featured a presentation of ‘Julie’, a photo essay by Darcy Padilla featured in Granta 122: Betrayal and a dramatic reading of an extract of Padilla’s journal about her work. Granta artistic director Michael Salu, photographer Afshin Dehkordi (BBC, artistic consultant to the Brighton Photo Fringe and festival director of Bread & Roses Centennial) and Daniel Campbell Blight (writer, curator and talks assistant at the Photog...
2013-03-0400 min
GrantaColin Robinson: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 45Colin Robinson reads from his memoir 'Paddleball' in Granta 122: Betrayal and discusses how an old brotherly friction re-emerged during a game in New York, and how gym culture has changed the way we see our bodies.
2013-01-2835 min
GrantaAndré Aciman: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 54André Aciman reads from his new story, ‘Abingdon Square’, published this week in Granta 122: Betrayal, and speaks to Granta’s Yuka Igarashi about the story, the problem with unreliable narrators and modern poetry, and why self-deception and betrayal are good subjects for fiction. (Illustration by Tomer Hanuka)
2013-01-2100 min
GrantaMohsin Hamid: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 44The author of 'The Reluctant Fundamentalist', Mohsin Hamid, talks to John Freeman about the extract from his latest novel 'How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia', extracted in the new issue of Granta, Betrayal.
2013-01-1643 min
GrantaSean Borodale: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 43Granta New Poet Sean Borodale discusses his debut collection Bee Journal, shortlisted for he TS Eliot prize, with online editor Ted Hodgkinson.
2012-12-0747 min
GrantaBrad Feuerhelm: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 44Brad Feuerhelm talks to Ted Hdgkinson about his collection of photoraphs in Granta Medicine, 'Ordinary Light'.
2012-10-1900 min
GrantaEdinburgh Book Festival: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 42In this special Edinburgh Book Festival edition of the Granta Podcast Laura Barber talks to Kapka Kassabova (Street Without a Name, Twelve Minutes of Love) and Peter Stamm (Seven Years) about the often paradoxical relationship between writing and place.
2012-09-0300 min
GrantaSam Byers: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 31Sam Byers talks about being introduced in Granta 119: Britain, turning office life into fiction and writing women.
2012-06-2944 min
GrantaMark Haddon: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 29Mark Haddon, author of 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time' talks about his latest novel, 'The Red House' and his story in Granta 119: Britain, 'The Gun'.
2012-05-1840 min
GrantaJeanette Winterson: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 25Jeanette Winterson reads from her new memoir, Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal, and her story 'All I Know About Gertrude Stein' from Granta 115: The F Word. She also talks to Saskia Vogel about the line between truth and fiction and the pleasures of Twitter.
2012-03-2228 min
GrantaHighlights of 2011: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 29Highlights from the Granta Podcast 2011 - with readings by Binyavanga Wainaina, Robert Coover & Taiye Selasi. Plus outtakes and extras from our events series.
2011-12-1900 min
GrantaDon DeLillo & Paul Auster: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 22Don DeLillo and Paul Auster read from their work in Granta 117: Horror and discuss writing about 'impoverished characters' and living and writing about New York.
2011-12-0144 min
GrantaWill Self & Mark Doty: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 20A recording from the London launch of Granta 117: Horror, featuring readings from contributors Mark Doty and Will Self; their discussion with Granta publisher Sigrid Rausing and the questions and answers with the audience at Foyles bookshop.
2011-11-0459 min