Edinburgh Companion to James Kelman

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

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).