Prizing Scottish Literature

“The book is a valuable contribution to the field of prize studies. The deep history of the Saltire Prize is, in and of itself, a valuable addition to knowledge about Scottish organization, political assembly and perceptions of national cultural production. There are a number of original and innovative dimensions to the work, and the book’s research has clear implications for cultural studies, English studies, publishing studies, the sociology of the arts, arts labour, and area studies.” —Will Smith, University of Stirling, UK

“This volume is absolutely an original and useful contribution to the study of literary prize culture. Dr Marsden has undertaken an extremely detailed and sophisticated study of the Saltire Society Literary Awards that threads together the history of the award and the society with contemporary contextualization. This book is a welcome addition to the field of study, and one that I will cite regularly in my own work.” —Dr Alexandra Dane, Lecturer in Professional Practice, University of Melbourne, Australia

“Marsden’s book is an accessible yet in-depth and highly original study of Scottish literary awards. Both a fascinating cultural history of the Saltire Society and an incisive analysis of literary prize culture, it is essential reading for anyone interested in the production and public profile of contemporary literary culture.” —Danielle Fuller, Full Professor, Department of English & Film Studies and Adjunct Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Alberta, Canada

“The success of Douglas Stuart’s Shuggie Bain makes it seem that a distinctive Scottish voice in literature is a given. But Marsden’s deft and detailed study reveals how this identity had to be consciously built through institutions, policies and not a few controversies. It provides invaluable, first-hand insight into how a national literary culture is actually made.” —Simone Murray, Associate Professor of Literary Studies, Monash University, Australia