The Edinburgh Companion to James Kelman

by Scott Hames (Editor)

Overview

James Kelman is one of the most important Scottish writers now living. His fiction is widely acclaimed, and widely caricatured. His art declares war on stereotypes, but is saddled with plenty of its own.This book attempts to disentangle Kelman's writing from his reputation, clarifying his literary influences and illuminating 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. Essays by leading experts combine lucid accounts of the heated debates surrounding Kelman's writing, with a sharp focus on the effects and innovations of that writing itself. Kelman's own reception by reviewers and journalists is examined as a shaping factor in the development of his career. Chapters situate Kelman's work in critical contexts ranging from masculinity to vernacular language, cover influences from Chomsky to Kafka, and pursue the implications of Kelman's rhetoric from Glasgow localism to 'World English'. Key Features:* The first major collection of essays on Kelman's work* Considers the full spectrum of Kelman's writing, from novels to polemics to plays* Explores a comprehensive range of Kelman's literary influences and critical contexts* Highlights the interplay of Kelman's political, linguistic and artistic agendas

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780748639649
Publisher:	Edinburgh University Press
Publication date:	07/05/2010
Series:	Edinburgh Companions to Scottish Literature
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

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).

Table of Contents

Series Editors' Preface vii

Brief Biography of James Kelman viii

Introduction Scott Hames 1

I Literary Forms 7

1 Early Kelman Paul Shanks 9

2 How late it was, how late and Literary Value Mary McGlynn 20

3 Kelman's Later Novels Peter Boxall 31

4 Kelman and the Short Story Adrian Hunter 42

5 Kelman's Critical and Polemical Writing Mia Carter 53

6 Kelman's Drama David Archibald 65

II Critical Contexts 73

7 Kelman's Glasgow Sentence Cairns Craig 75

8 Kelman's Art-Speech Scott Hames 86

9 Kelman and World English Michael Gardiner 99

10 Kelman and Masculinity Carole Jones 111

11 Kelman and the Existentialists Laurence Nicoll 121

Endnotes 131

Further Reading 150

Notes on Contributors 156

Index 159

Editorial Reviews

"...this volume contributes significantly to the body of criticism his work continues to attract."

Years Work in English Studies