A Rushdie essay that had been cut from Granta by Alex Clarke right before her departure has been restored by new editor John Freeman. Speculation abounds about whether this was part of the reason for Clarke’s departure.

An essay by Salman Rushdie, rejected by former Granta editor Alex Clark for inclusion in the magazine shortly before her departure, has been reinstated by new editor John Freeman and will run in the next issue, Granta 109: Work, available from January.

Granta owner Sigrid Rausing has denied suggestions that a row over the rejection of the Rushdie piece was a contributory factor in the twin departures of Clark, and later Granta Publications m.d. David Graham, during last summer.

Clark, Granta’s first woman editor, left in May after nine months in the chair, with Graham leaving in June. Reasons for their departures have not been made public.