The Edinburgh Companion to Contemporary Scottish Literature

This formidable enterprise is a perfect blend of expertise and enthusiasm, its critical interventions always edgy and up-to-the-minute. In this big, bold book, Berthold Schoene has gathered all the rays of criticism into one. It is to his credit that the result is a vivid and enlightening kaleidoscope that shows a ceilidh-cum-carnival in full swing. This weighty book is a door-opener, as well as a curtain-raiser, and what it reveals is a roomier and raunchier Scotland than has hitherto been readily envisaged, except in the imaginations of its writers. -- Professor Willy Maley, University of Glasgow This is a collection that will provoke and enrich debate on Scottish writing. Diverse critical voices, addressing an exciting range of new texts, open up questions that go beyond the twenty-first century context. -- Glenda Norquay, Chair in Scottish Literary Studies, Liverpool John Moores University Convincingly captures the new manifestations of the creative and the critical energies produced during the Scottish devolution and post-devolution ... a vivid pluralistic vision which provocatively reveals not just a Scotland but many varied scotlands. The Hindu Altogether the Companion fulfils the promise of its editor and provides a wide spectrum of material and points of view... There is more than enough here to inform the newcomer to contemporary Scottish literature and to provoke debate among those who are already familiar with the vibrant, changing and developing nature of the beast. Use of English This is a comprehensive, lucky-dip kind of volume, one that will provoke debate on literature, culture, and national politics and at the same time prove that Scottish literature is more than the fiction of well-known figures like James Kelman, Ian Rankin, and Irvine Welsh. Highly recommended. Choice This formidable enterprise is a perfect blend of expertise and enthusiasm, its critical interventions always edgy and up-to-the-minute. In this big, bold book, Berthold Schoene has gathered all the rays of criticism into one. It is to his credit that the result is a vivid and enlightening kaleidoscope that shows a ceilidh-cum-carnival in full swing. This weighty book is a door-opener, as well as a curtain-raiser, and what it reveals is a roomier and raunchier Scotland than has hitherto been readily envisaged, except in the imaginations of its writers. This is a collection that will provoke and enrich debate on Scottish writing. Diverse critical voices, addressing an exciting range of new texts, open up questions that go beyond the twenty-first century context. Convincingly captures the new manifestations of the creative and the critical energies produced during the Scottish devolution and post-devolution ... a vivid pluralistic vision which provocatively reveals not just a Scotland but many varied scotlands. Altogether the Companion fulfils the promise of its editor and provides a wide spectrum of material and points of view... There is more than enough here to inform the newcomer to contemporary Scottish literature and to provoke debate among those who are already familiar with the vibrant, changing and developing nature of the beast. This is a comprehensive, lucky-dip kind of volume, one that will provoke debate on literature, culture, and national politics and at the same time prove that Scottish literature is more than the fiction of well-known figures like James Kelman, Ian Rankin, and Irvine Welsh. Highly recommended.