This Guide examines the critical construction of the genre of 'contemporary Scottish literature' and assesses the critical responses to a wide range of contemporary Scottish fiction, poetry
and drama. The Guide is structured thematically with each chapter addressing a specific area of debate within the field of contemporary Scottish Studies. Individual chapters outline, explain
and assess the key critical perspectives surrounding a certain theme and then draw on established readings of key authors in order to illustrate these various critical perspectives. The Guide
focuses on the most widely read works of these key authors: for example, Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting (1993), A.L. Kennedy's So I Am Glad (1995) and James Kelman's Booker Prize
winning novel How Late It Was, How Late (1994). However, the thematic breadth allows the Guide to introduce into the discussion authors such as Alasdair Gray, Alan Warner and Ian
Banks, as well as a variety of poets and playwrights.
