Reading James Kelman

James
Kelman emerged as a leading Scottish writer in the 1980s, having published
several short story collections in the 70s.
He is known for his unusual renderings of the Glasgow dialect and his
works are usually an exploration of the thought processes of the
narrators. His characters are often
working-class and many critics consider him to be a Late Modernist, in similar
vein to other Scottish writers, such as Hugh MacDiarmid. His works show an understanding of political
matters and his novels are often compared to those of James Joyce and Frank
Kafka.

His
characters are often anti-heroes, trying to distance themselves from the world
around them, after becoming disillusioned with society and the lack of rewards
for their efforts. There are several stream
of consciousness novels in his body of work.

Early works

The
early works of James Kelman include several short story collections and
novels. The collection An Old Pub Near
the Angel was published in 1973 and the anthology Three Glasgow Writers in
1976, a collection created with fellow writers, Alex Hamilton and Tom
Leonard. Short Tales from the Nightshift
was published in 1978 and Not Not While the Giro appeared in print in
1983.

His
novels began appearing in print in the early 1980s, with The Busconductor Hines
in 1984 and A Chancer
in 1985. 

Recent works

1994
was the year How Late it Was, How Late was published, a story of an ex-convict
and shoplifter. 2001 saw the publication
of the novel Translated Accounts, which was followed in 2004 by You Have to be
Careful in the Land of the Free. In 2008
the critically acclaimed novel Keiron Smith, Boy, was released. 

Other works

Television
screenplays also form part of Kelman’s body of work. The Return was screened in 1991 and there are
also many radio and theatre plays to his credit, with several collections
published. He is a university lecturer
and in 2002 published a collection of essays, And the Judges Said…

Award-winning works

Awards
soon flowed for Kelman, with Greyhound for Breakfast (1987) winning the
Cheltenham Prize and A Disaffection (1989), winning the James Tait Black
Memorial Prize, as well as making the shortlist for the Booker Prize. A Disaffection is the story of a Scottish
teacher who is unimpressed with the prospect of spending his working life in
the system. His main character is
working-class and although he has risen to the middle classes, is unhappy there
and returns to his roots.

Kelman’s
1994 novel, How Late It Was, How Late, won the Booker Prize and 1998 saw him
win the Scotland on Sunday/Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Award and the Stakis
Prize for Scottish Writer of the Year for The Good Times, another collection of
short stories. You Have to be Careful in
the Land of the Free won the Saltire Society Scottish Book of the Year Award in
2004 and the Scottish Arts Council Book of the Year Award.