JAMES KELMAN

I started reading James Kelman when  I was about 14 and I have always loved his books, though I haven’t read any of his more recent ones.

In my writings the accent is Glasgow
I am always from Glasgow and I speak English always
Always with this Glasgow accent
This is right enough

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I think the most ordinary person’s life is fairly dramatic; all you’ve got to do is follow some people around and look at their existence for 24 hours, and it will be horror. For 80% of our society life is constantly dramatic in a way that the 20% who control the wealth and power find totally incomprehensible. 

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 You have to remember that Scotland has existed as a sort of colony of England for the past three hundred years; its ruling class sold the country back in the early 18th century. Scottish children have been educated to recognise not only their own inferiority but the inferiority of their parents, community and wider culture, including language. It is a typical colonial position.

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