Granta 165

From Lower Saxony to Leipzig, the carwash to the planetarium, thespecial Deutschland issue of Granta comprises the most promisingdevelopments of contemporary German literature. In Leif Randt's "AllegroPastel," the smooth consciousness of a Merkel-era young professional's flightinto a lifestyle is examined with a clinical scalpel. The issue includesstories by Yoko Tawada, Judith Hermann, Shida Bayzar, and Clemens Meyer. The issue features bursts of fiction and reflection from AlexanderKluge, an essay by Fredric Jameson on Neo Rauch, Jürgen Habermas onthe future of Europe, Peter Richter on the murder that explains thehorror-architecture of Potsdamer Platz, Adrian Daub on the dark history ofGerman car culture, Ryan Ruby on Berlin's last utopian moment, Michael Hofmannon the Germany he never wished to return to, Nell Zink on the Germany shecannot quit, Peter Kuras on German humor, Lutz Seiler on serving in thePeople's Army, Lauren Oyler on the projections of generations of Americanswho have come to Germany with an idea of culture in their heads that they onlysubsequently learned had reached them like the light of a distant star thatlong ago collapsed, and a conversation about anti-anti-Semitism betweenGeorge Prochnik, Emily Dische-Becker and Eyal Weizman. Also included: Peter Handke's notebooks. Poetry from ElfriedeCzurda and Frederik Seidel. Photography by Martin Roemers (with an introduction by the poetDurs Grünbein); Ilyes Griyeb (with an introduction by Imogen West-Knights) andElena Helfrecht (with an introduction by Hanna Engelmeier). Cover by Muhammad Salah.