by John Freeman (ed.)
The straw that broke the camel's back
The theme of Granta 122 is Betrayal, which is ironic to say the least.
As a long-term subscriber, I feel utterly betrayed. Granta used to be a fantastic mix of reportage, memoir, photography, and fiction. In recent years, though, it has become more and more obsessed with fiction. The previous edition was dedicated entirely to young Brazilian novelists, the next edition will be entitled The Best of Young British Novelists 4, and this current edition had a whopping two pieces of non-fiction (one of which, by Janine di Giovanni on Syria, was excellent—as, admittedly, were a couple of the short stories).
But I've had enough. Having finished the latest edition, I rang Granta and cancelled my subscription of 11 years, explaining my reasons for so doing. I still have a couple of editions to come (including the bloody Best of Young British Novelists 4), but I doubt I'll enjoy them anything like as much as I did in the good old days.
Granta has jumped the shark.
