"This is an outstanding novel of immense power, and is Kelman's best yet." The Independent on Kieron Smith, boy

Chaired by Doug Johnstone

The Bridge Readings returned after a hiatus with literary legend and Scotland's only Booker Prize-winner James Kelman reading some short stories, some of which he hadn't read for 20 years. A stonking night chaired by Edinburgh young-gun Doug Johnstone, musician and author of Tombstoning and The Ossians, who prised the best from Kelman in a relaxed literary feast.

James Kelman was born in Glasgow in 1946. His books include A Greyhound for Breakfast, winner of the 1987 Cheltenhem Prize, The Burn, recipient of a Scottish Arts Council book award, and A Disaffection, which won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. How Late it Was, How Late won the 1994 Booker Prize. Recent work includes The Good Times, a new collection of stories for which he won Scottish Writer of the Year, the novel Translated Accounts and a collection of essays, And the Judges Said... , and You Have to be Careful in the Land of the Free. His latest novel is Kieron Smith, boy (2008) won the Saltire Society Book of the Year Award and the Book of the Year 2009 in the Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust Book Awards. Kelman was short-listed for the Man Booker International Prize 2009.

Doug Johnstone is a writer, journalist and musician based in Edinburgh. He’s had two novels published by Penguin, Tombstoning (2006) and The Ossians (2008). Both novels were set in contemporary Scotland and received acclaim from the likes of Ian Rankin, Irvine Welsh and Christopher Brookmyre. Doug is a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist in a band, Northern Alliance, who have released four albums to critical acclaim.
Doug’s intermittent blog is at: http://dougjohnstone.wordpress.com/.

Thursday 30 July 2009
Central Library, Edinburgh

The Bridge Readings are kindly supported by
Edinburgh City Library & Information Service

Books supplied by Blackewell, Edinburgh