A goer when the writing stops explaining things in concrete, well-crafted sentences. When it's trying to be important, I'm reminded of Amis' hilarious essay somewhere on amateur writing contests ("The sun was bakingly hot.") Now, where to go from here, after reading the good stuff? I found myself slightly beside myself at the future for me and Brazilian literature in English. The dialogue in "Apnoeia," for example, almost reads itself aloud, and "Still Life" is oblique and welcomely unaccommodat...

4 1/2 stars. Excellent collection.

Authors I liked the best in here: Michel Laub, Cristhiano Aguiar, Julian Fuks, Antonio Xerxenesky, Javier Arancibia Contreras, J.P. Cuenca, and Vinicius Jatoba.

I only read about half the stories, which was enough for me. Not that they were bad, but the rest I can pick at, or not, at a later date.Before the Fall, describing high-flying Rio before an imagined (and likely) bubble burst later this decade, is a real treat. As is Evo Morales, a kind of surrealist journey into an jokey obsession that turns into a kind of mental illness.

Boas historias:Apneia, Daniel GaleraValdir Peres, Juanito e Poloskei, Antonio PrataO jantar, Julian FuksF para Welles, Antonio XerxeneskyVocê tem dado notícias?, Leandro SarmatzNatureza Morta, Vinicius JatobáNêmesis dessa coletânea: Geração Subzero

Granta 121: The Best Of Young Brazilian Novelists edited by John Freeman was first published in autumn of 2012 and I thought it might offer a nice introduction to modern Brazilian society. That is if that is at all possible, since it is, as Jorge Amado said “not a country, but a continent,” huge, diverse in race and social standing. Like all collections there will be hits and misses for me as a reader, but there were quite a few stories that made the grade in my opinion. The book is organized by...

As a Portuguese to English translator I was thrilled to see this edition and positive about the prospect of introducing more readers to contemporary Brazilian writing. Unfortunately none of the selected pieces really jumped out and moved me (the way so much writing of Brazil has over the past few years).

A wonderful buffet of twenty stories by twenty young Brazilian writers. The stories that showed the echoes of the various Latin American dictatorships of the 1970's were among my favorites (Violeta, The Dinner,). Although the authors were either not yet born or were very young during those turbulent times, it was very interesting to see how they have not escaped the brutality entirely. A couple of the non-political stories that I liked a lot were plain old good storytelling (Evo Morales, Every T...

I love Latin American literature, but I am mainly acquainted with classic authors like Marquez, Llosa, Amadu, Aliende. I was curious to make a "reality check". Definitely it was different - more cosmopolitan feeling, the contemporary themes of our European lives. My prepared expectation for exotic reality was not satisfied... But I can say the writers are pretty good if you approach the thing without a fixed idea. I really enjoyed "Blazing Sun" (Tatiana Levy), "Evo Morales" (Ricardo Lisias), "Va...

Granta 121, The Best of Young Brazilian Novelists, is an anthology of stories from some of the best-known young novelists in Brazil. The collection is worth reading for the view it offers of Brazilian literary culture, which is not exactly readily accessible in the U.S., and these four outstanding stories: "Animals," by Michel Laub, a flash-fiction like recounting of the deaths of the narrator's pets, friends, and, most meaningfully, his father; "Evo Morales," Ricardo Lísias' hilarious story abo...

An anthology of short fiction by young Brazilian writers. Granta did a nice job in bringing together these pieces of fiction. As it happens, some of the stories are very good, while others are not up-to-the-mark. However, I was expecting to know more about Brazil - its people, culture, food, places - through these stories, but that did not happen. Almost all the stories were based out of Brazil.An enjoyable one-time read.

Textos muito bons. Acabei procurando outros livros dos autores selecionados aqui. Recomendo.

All prosperity and the accompanying dark secrets.Daniel Galera's "Apnoea", "That Wind Blowing Through the Plaza" by Laura Erber, and Javier Arancibia Contreras' "Rat Fever" are standouts.

Disappointing read. None of the writings really evoked Brazil in a way I expected them to. I'm a great lover of Jorge Amado; I love the intertwining of the real with the surreal, the mysticism, sensuality and exoticism in his writings. Maybe I was expecting too much!

Kind of conflicted about this issue, mainly because I have no connection to Brazilian writers.So much sad, dissociated, in touch with surroundings/buildings/cultural ways and means, so much of families broken, new people coming in, "things" sold and recovered, relationships included.Not one of my favorite Grantas, but that's a function of my ignorance.

Some good pieces in this edition including "Animals" by Michel Laub, "Evo Morales" by Ricardo Lisias, "The Dinner" (the tension of the past is ever present and rising) by Julian Fuks, "Valdir Peres, Juanito and Poloskei" by Antonio Prata, "Tomorrow, upon Awakening" by Antonio Xerenesky, "Lion" (disturbing) by Luisa Geisler, "Before the Fall" by J.P. Cuena, "Still Life" by Vinicius Jatoba, and "Apnoea" by Daniel Galena. I like when Granta does these best of young novelists editions. Not sure that...

An uneven collection which improved towards the end. The stand out stories for me were Jatoba's 'Still Life' and Fraia's 'A Temporary Stay'.

“The only thing that makes life bearable is the fact that it comes to an end.”– from RAT FEVER, a short story by Javier Contreras.————GRANTA 121 is a collection of stories from some of the best-known young Brazilian novelists. But among all those included, the best ones are the stand-alone stories and not those extracted from longer pieces. Overall, this anthology serves as a good highlight of the “new era” in Brazilian literature. The editors were so serious in pursuing this that they explained...