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Information About

James Kelman




James Kelman (born in , called the book 'a disgrace' and marched off the panel when it was announced that Kelman had won. In 1998 Kelman was awarded the Scotland On Sunday / Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Award.

During the 1970s he published a first collection of short stories. He became involved in Philip Hobsbaum 's Creative Writing group in Glasgow along with Tom Leonard , Alasdair Gray and Liz Lochhead , and his short stories began to appear in magazines. These stories introduced a distinctive style, expressing First Person internal Monologue s in a pared-down prose utilising vernacular Glaswegian Speech Patterns , though avoiding for the most part the quasi-phonetic rendition of Tom Leonard. Kelman's developing style has been influential on the succeeding generation of Scottish Novelists , including Irvine Welsh , Alan Warner and Janice Galloway . In 1998, Kelman received the Stakis Prize for "Scottish Writer of the Year" for his collection of short stories 'The Good Times.'

Kelman has been a prominent campaigner, notably in issues of social justice and traditional left wing causes, though he is not a party man by any means. He lives in Glasgow with his wife and children, though has also lived in London, Manchester, Australia and America.


BIBLIOGRAPHY


Short stories

  • ''An Old Pub Near The Angel'' (1973)

  • ''Not Not While The Giro'' (1983)

  • ''Lean Tales'' (1985) (joint volume with Alasdair Gray and Agnes Owens )

  • ''Greyhound For Breakfast'' (1987)

  • ''The Burn'' (1991)

  • ''The Good Times'' (1998)



Novels

  • ''The Busconductor Hines'' (1984)

  • ''A Chancer'' (1985)

  • ''A Disaffection'' (1989)

  • ''How Late It Was, How Late'' (1994) (winner of the Booker Prize)

  • ''Translated Accounts'' (2001)

  • ''You Have To Be Careful In The Land Of The Free'' (2004)



Essays

  • ''Some Recent Attacks'' (1992)

  • ''And The Judges Said'' (2002)



EXTERNAL LINKS

  • includes a "Critical Perspective" section

  • '' How Late It Was, How Late '': a play created by Rude Mechanicals in Austin, Texas (2003)


  NAME Kelman, James
  SHORT DESCRIPTION Scottish poet
  DATE OF BIRTH June 9 1946
  PLACE OF BIRTH Glasgow , Scotland