Row boils as writer says Scots fiction stifled by mediocrity

A ROW has broken out among Scotland's leading authors on the state of fiction north of the Border.

James Kelman, the influential Glasgow writer, accused the literati of favouring populist offering such as JK Rowling's Harry Potter, and detective novels, such as Ian Rankin's Rebus, over encouraging new innovative talent.

Mr Kelman, who won the Booker Prize in 1994, derided Potter as "upper middle class" at the Edinburgh Book Festival and accused Scotland's literary establishment of rewarding mediocrity. He also accused it of failing to encourage contemporary literature by being anglocentric.

He said: "Praise and position is given to genre fiction in Scotland.

"If the Nobel Prize were given to a Scot, it would be given to a f****** crime writer, or a children's writer who writes middle-class books about a child magician."

Michael Schmidt, poet and writer and professor of poetry at Glasgow University, described Kelman's approach as "Stalinist". He said: "It so disparages the common reader. People who like Rankin and the Harry Potter books genuinely read them for pleasure."

He was backed by Scottish crime writer Denise Mina, who said: "This debate actually drives readers toward genre fiction. It's like the prefects looking down on the juniors."

However, others came out in support of the outspoken Glasgow author.

John Byrne, writer of acclaimed television drama Tutti Frutti, agreed there was a danger of Scotland becoming known as the home of genre fiction.

He said: "It's much easier to make that sort of stuff than write deep, literary fiction.

"Maybe it needs someone like Jim Kelman to set the cat among the pigeons and have us all up in arms."

Falkirk-born author Alan Bissett said he had some sympathy with Kelman's outspoken view.

He said: "What he seems to be saying is mediocre writing – by which he means genre writing – is given undue attention by the Scottish literary establishment."

Writer Rodge Glass said: "What it appears Kelman has said, and I don't want to speak for him, is there is a scene that is being ignored and I back him in that.

"He has been very brave with these remarks."