Description: James Kelman is one of the most important Scottish writers now living. This book attempts to clarify his literary influences and to illuminate his political commitments. It is the first book to cover the full range and depth of Kelman's work, explaining his position within genres such as the short story and the polemical essay, and tracing his interest in anti-colonial politics and existential thought. Chapters combine lucid accounts of the heated debates surrounding Kelman's writing, with a sharp focus on the techniques of that writing itself.
Brief description: Scott Hames is Senior Lecturer in Scottish Literature at the University of Stirling, and author of The Literary Politics of Scottish Devolution (EUP, 2020), which draws extensively on post-1960s magazines and their debates. With Malcolm Petrie, he led the AHRC-funded Scottish Magazines Network on which this book is based. With Eleanor Bell, he co-founded the International Journal of Scottish Literature. He has edited or co-edited closely related volumes on Scottish Writing After Devolution (EUP, 2022), Unstated: Writers on Scottish Independence (Word Power, 2012) and The Edinburgh Companion to James Kelman (EUP, 2010).
Review Quotes:
"...this volume contributes significantly to the body of criticism his work continues to attract."
--Years Work in English Studies, vol 91, no 1, 2012