How late it was, how late
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| Author | James Kelman |
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| Country | Scotland |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Fiction |
| Publisher | Vintage |
| Released | 1994 |
| Media Type | |
| Pages | 384 pages |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-7493-9883-3 |
How late it was, how late is a 1994 stream of consciousness novel written by Scottish writer James Kelman. The Glasgow-centred work is written in a working class Scottish dialect, and follows Sammy, a shoplifter and ex-convict.
[edit] Plot summary
Sammy awakens in a lane one morning after a two day drinking binge, and gets into a fight with some plainclothes policemen, called in Glaswegian dialect, 'sodjers'. When he regains consciousness, he finds that he's been beaten severely and, he gradually realizes, is completely blind.
[edit] Booker Prize
The book, amid some controversy, won the Man Booker Prize for 1994. One of the judges, Rabbi Julia Neuberger, threatened to resign if it won, and upon the book being granted the prize, stormed off the panel, saying, "Frankly, it's crap."
Simon Jenkins, a conservative columnist for The Times, called the award "literary vandalism." In his acceptance speech, Kelman made the case for the culture and language of "indigenous" people outside of London. "A fine line can exist between elitism and racism," he said. "On matters concerning language and culture, the distinction can sometimes cease to exist altogether."
In addition, following the publication, the BBC refused to air readings of Kelman's work.
| Preceded by: Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha |
Man Booker Prize recipient 1994 |
Succeeded by: The Ghost Road |
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This article about a 1990s novel is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
