Published by: Granta (The magazine of new writing)
This is a collection of short stories written by young authors at the time of publication, who were considered to be the most promising.
Granta published it's first Best of Young British Authors in 1983, and have been identifying and championing young authors ever since, most of whom have gone on to become very successful are highly acclaimed. The back of the publication includes a list of them.
My Review
First Impression: I was drawn in by the cover design. The image tells you everything you need to know.
I had read some editions of Granta in the past and have always enjoyed the quality of writing. I purchased this edition at the time of publication and had been meaning to read it since. Being stuck in lockdown provided the time and opportunity.
The upside: Generally, I prefer complete novels to collections of short stories, because I often finish a short story dissatisfied, that is, left wanting more. I did not experience this with any of the stories I read in this collection and I was fully engaged by most of them. The two that stayed with me most were:
Naomi Alderman's Soon and in Our Days, which is a beautiful and witty tale about a contemporary Jewish family who are visited by the Prophet Elijah during Passover.
Ross Raisin's Submersion, a melancholic story about two siblings who discover their town has been flooded on seeing the news report on a TV in a bar while on holiday.
That said, the entire collection is beautifully written.
I did not read them in sequence, rather I randomly selected ones as I went along. I also read them at my leisure, dipping in and out as I chose.
The downside: There isn't one.
The verdict: It is one of your five-a-day in that the quality of work is nourishment for the soul.
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