🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About James Kelman
James Kelman is an award-winning literary fiction author from Glasgow that is best known for his short stories and controversial novels. After leaving school aged 15, James Kelman was apprenticed as a compositor and then followed periods of unemployment. Thereafter, Kelman took up several jobs as he taught creative writing while taking his fiction in another direction. James Kelman’s novel “Kieron Smith, Boy” is the account of the narrator who tells of his life as a preteen resident in Glasgow. He came from a family that to some extent was deprived with a mother who dreamed of better things for her sons which made her be labeled a snob.
All Book Series by James Kelman
God's Teeth and Other Phenomena
Latest in the series · book 12 of 12 · published 2020
Keep Moving and No Questions
Latest in the series · book 12 of 12 · published 2022
Best British Short Stories 2017
Latest in the series · book 3 of 3 · published 2017
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is James Kelman?
James Kelman is an award-winning literary fiction author from Glasgow that is best known for his short stories and controversial novels. After leaving school aged 15, James Kelman was apprenticed as a compositor and then followed periods of unemployment. Thereafter, Kelman took up several jobs as he taught creative writing while taking his fiction in another direction.
Which James Kelman series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Scottish Short Stories series, the earliest of James Kelman's multi-book series: it opens with Scottish Short Stories 1974 (1974) and runs to 4 books across 1974–1979, ending with Scottish Short Stories 1979 (1979).
How many books has James Kelman written?
James Kelman has 37 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1973 and 2024. 4 of them belong to 1 named series — the largest being the Scottish Short Stories series with 4 books — and 33 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should James Kelman's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. James Kelman's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Scottish Short Stories (1974–1979, 4 books).
How are James Kelman's books organised into series?
This guide splits James Kelman's 37 books into 1 named series and 33 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Scottish Short Stories (4 books, 1974–1979).