What do you think?
Rate this book
Keep Moving and No Questions
James Kelman's inimitable voice brings the stories of lost men to light in these twenty one tales of down on their luck antiheroes who wander, drink, hatch plans, ponder existence, and survive in an unwelcoming and often comic world. "Keep Moving and No Questions" is a collection of the finest examples of Kelman's facility with dialog, stream of conscious narrative, and sharp cultural observation. Class is always central in these brief glimpses of men abiding the hands they've been dealt. An ideal introduction to Kelman's work and a wonderful edition for fans and Kelman completionists, this lovely vollume will make clear why James Kelman is known as the greatest living modernist writer.
- GenresShort StoriesScotland
224 pages, Hardcover
Published September 27, 2022
2 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
About the author
James Kelman
88Ìýbooks263ÌýfollowersKelman says:
My own background is as normal or abnormal as anyone else's. Born and bred in Govan and Drumchapel, inner city tenement to the housing scheme homeland on the outer reaches of the city. Four brothers, my mother a full time parent, my father in the picture framemaking and gilding trade, trying to operate a one man business and I left school at 15 etc. etc. (...) For one reason or another, by the age of 21/22 I decided to write stories. The stories I wanted to write would derive from my own background, my own socio-cultural experience. I wanted to write as one of my own people, I wanted to write and remain a member of my own community.
During the 1970s he published a first collection of short stories. He became involved in Philip Hobsbaum's creative writing group in Glasgow along with Tom Leonard, Alasdair Gray and Liz Lochhead, and his short stories began to appear in magazines. These stories introduced a distinctive style, expressing first person internal monologues in a pared-down prose utilising Glaswegian speech patterns, though avoiding for the most part the quasi-phonetic rendition of Tom Leonard. Kelman's developing style has been influential on the succeeding generation of Scottish novelists, including Irvine Welsh, Alan Warner and Janice Galloway. In 1998, Kelman received the Stakis Prize for "Scottish Writer of the Year" for his collection of short stories 'The Good Times.'
My own background is as normal or abnormal as anyone else's. Born and bred in Govan and Drumchapel, inner city tenement to the housing scheme homeland on the outer reaches of the city. Four brothers, my mother a full time parent, my father in the picture framemaking and gilding trade, trying to operate a one man business and I left school at 15 etc. etc. (...) For one reason or another, by the age of 21/22 I decided to write stories. The stories I wanted to write would derive from my own background, my own socio-cultural experience. I wanted to write as one of my own people, I wanted to write and remain a member of my own community.
During the 1970s he published a first collection of short stories. He became involved in Philip Hobsbaum's creative writing group in Glasgow along with Tom Leonard, Alasdair Gray and Liz Lochhead, and his short stories began to appear in magazines. These stories introduced a distinctive style, expressing first person internal monologues in a pared-down prose utilising Glaswegian speech patterns, though avoiding for the most part the quasi-phonetic rendition of Tom Leonard. Kelman's developing style has been influential on the succeeding generation of Scottish novelists, including Irvine Welsh, Alan Warner and Janice Galloway. In 1998, Kelman received the Stakis Prize for "Scottish Writer of the Year" for his collection of short stories 'The Good Times.'
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 20, 2023
The Jakey......micro-examined!
I've said it before, and I'll keep saying it.....James Kelman knows what's going on in your (and my) head, the wee secret things you think or say to yourself, the notions you might have, the promises you make to yourself, all the minutiae floating around in there....he knows it, he's been there! And he knows how to lay it on a page with results that are raw and eye-openingly painful. He is, in my opinion, one of the top five living writers on the planet, perhaps the best....on his day? Mibbe he is! Don't take my word for it, just read the blurbs on any product he is associated with!
This compilation, drawn from collections of short stories, concentrates on those in a rut, down on their luck, living inescapable lifestyles, who drink, who gamble, and the locations and circumstances they find themselves in - 21 tales of the common or garden (or park bench) jakey. They are sorrowful stories, and funny, and accurate, the dialogue is supremely created. No judgement and certainly no conclusions or happy endings, just beautifully crafted slices of life, no questions!
His short stories excel, as do his novel-length works. No risk in trying the astonishingly good, coming of age epic, Kieron Smith, Boy, or the Transatlantic adventure of The Dirt Road, actually failures are practically non-existent (Translated Accounts was a sore read!), pick up any, you don't even need to be Scottish! Mibbe ye don't! The question, however, remains, and has been asked continually......Are literary genii supposed to come from working class Glasgow? Mibbe they are!
I've said it before, and I'll keep saying it.....James Kelman knows what's going on in your (and my) head, the wee secret things you think or say to yourself, the notions you might have, the promises you make to yourself, all the minutiae floating around in there....he knows it, he's been there! And he knows how to lay it on a page with results that are raw and eye-openingly painful. He is, in my opinion, one of the top five living writers on the planet, perhaps the best....on his day? Mibbe he is! Don't take my word for it, just read the blurbs on any product he is associated with!
This compilation, drawn from collections of short stories, concentrates on those in a rut, down on their luck, living inescapable lifestyles, who drink, who gamble, and the locations and circumstances they find themselves in - 21 tales of the common or garden (or park bench) jakey. They are sorrowful stories, and funny, and accurate, the dialogue is supremely created. No judgement and certainly no conclusions or happy endings, just beautifully crafted slices of life, no questions!
His short stories excel, as do his novel-length works. No risk in trying the astonishingly good, coming of age epic, Kieron Smith, Boy, or the Transatlantic adventure of The Dirt Road, actually failures are practically non-existent (Translated Accounts was a sore read!), pick up any, you don't even need to be Scottish! Mibbe ye don't! The question, however, remains, and has been asked continually......Are literary genii supposed to come from working class Glasgow? Mibbe they are!
Read
December 23, 2024DNF. There are 29 stories (not 21) and I hit a wall around the middle. I read a few more to make sure and took breaks, but I wasn’t able to get past my disinterest. I liked a few of the stories, but eventually they all read the same to me. I’m still interested in reading one of Kelman’s novels. I originally had How Late It Was on my list but ran across this collection in the store first and thought I’d get a taste. I like the flavor, but I am not sure now—will it be better with more time for character development, or is the fact that my attention couldn’t be held in a three-page story an indicator that Kelman isn’t for me?
February 12, 2024
This collection of short stories is the first work by Kelman I’ve read, and I have to wonder what I’m missing from all the rave reviews from various sources in the introduction and endpapers. I failed to connect with any of them. Maybe I’ll have to try again at another time in my life, or try whatever what one of Kelman’s introductory works are, rather than a random collection of short stories, because it clearly seems like I’m missing out on something.
February 13, 2025
I’m partial Scots, and the wee stories (the author’s words) spun off by James Kelman’s conflicted protagonists in Keep Moving and No Questions are a vivid reminder that I might have been great and am not.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.