A Chancer

by James Kelman

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0330296647
• ISBN13: 9780330296649
• Release Date: January 1987
• Publisher: Picador
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.8" x 0.8" x 5.1"

Customer Reviews

Unusual Kelman, but still great

Some folk dinnae like Kelman. They dinnae like the swearin and the langwij. Readin writin that's in phonetic Glasweejan is tae difficult fur them.Well, tough.This is early Kelman. Written when he wis young, like. An it's great. Fantastic.Yi see, it's naw like his later stuff. Naw. Yi see, here, it's all objective. There's nae gettin inside the heids of the characters. Yi're jist telt whit they do. An it's compellun. Yit, nuthin happens. Nuthin. Sure there's some fitba and gamblin, an bein a layabout, but it's more than that.Kelman can write. He's magic. he loves words, loves his people, loves langwij. Yi can feel the power in it. Feel the anger. The frustration at the waste. An yi might not love his characters, but yi respect them.Like here, Tammas. A bit o a waster. A chancer, duckin and divin, lookin fur an opportunity tae mak some money, fur a quick smoke. But, yi'll come tae like him. Kelman does that, yi see. He draws yi in. But like a said, here it's a bit diffrunt. We dinnae ken whit Tammas is thinkin, we only know how he reacts, and whit he does.It's clever. It's well written. And Kelman's still the godfather o modern Scottish writin. Still the king.Buy this. Force them tae reprint it. Cheers.