Comments on: Scotland’s Literary Culture http://johnbakersblog.co.uk/scotlands-literary-culture/ Reflections of a working writer and reader Sat, 19 May 2012 08:23:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: hugh mcmillan http://johnbakersblog.co.uk/scotlands-literary-culture/comment-page-1/#comment-111461 hugh mcmillan Sun, 11 Oct 2009 09:37:32 +0000 http://johnbakersblog.co.uk/?p=3378#comment-111461 His point was that we have good writers but the prevailing culture promotes those with commercial success rather than those with talent or innovation. I don't know if I totally agree- there's Don Paterson winning the Forward Prize, for instance. I do feel, though it's maybe just green cheese, that it's hard, if you're not well connected, to break through to get recognition, or work. <strong>jb says</strong>: I think I did understand his point, Hugh. And it is a great pity that most of the prestigious prizes seem to follow the money. His point was that we have good writers but the prevailing culture promotes those with commercial success rather than those with talent or innovation. I don’t know if I totally agree- there’s Don Paterson winning the Forward Prize, for instance. I do feel, though it’s maybe just green cheese, that it’s hard, if you’re not well connected, to break through to get recognition, or work.

jb says: I think I did understand his point, Hugh. And it is a great pity that most of the prestigious prizes seem to follow the money.

]]> By: Jim Murdoch http://johnbakersblog.co.uk/scotlands-literary-culture/comment-page-1/#comment-111454 Jim Murdoch Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:32:04 +0000 http://johnbakersblog.co.uk/?p=3378#comment-111454 Interesting. I'm just putting the finishing touches to a post about writing in writing in dialects - Scottish dialects specifically - but I couldn't find a quote from Kelman that fitted and so he just gets a nod and passed over. I can see his point up to a point. We have some damn good writers but world class? Mibbe no. Interesting. I’m just putting the finishing touches to a post about writing in writing in dialects – Scottish dialects specifically – but I couldn’t find a quote from Kelman that fitted and so he just gets a nod and passed over. I can see his point up to a point. We have some damn good writers but world class? Mibbe no.

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