Is it the end of the English novel? Has it grown predictable and unadventurous? Granta 3 collects work from writers and critics which points to the fact that our terms have grown inadequate: it is the end of the English novel; but it is also the beginning – quite possibly an extremely important beginning – of British fiction. In this issue: Bill Buford: The End of the English Novel Salman Rushdie: Midnight’s Children Angela Carter: Cousins Desmond Hogan: Southern Birds Alan Sillitoe: A Scream of Toys Emma Tennant: Alice Fell Russell Hoban: Riddley Walker Lorna Sage: Invasion from Outsiders Chris Bigsby: The Uneasy Middleground of British Fiction Frederick Bowers: An Irrelevant Parochialism James Gindin: Taking Risks Christine Brooke-Rose: Where Do We Go From Here? J. K. Klavans: God, He Was Good