Contains stories by Ali Smith, Michel Faber, Andrew Greig, Laura Hird, Suhayl Saadi, Christopher Whyte and Anne Donovan, among many others. "Scottish writing is one of the most daring, inventive and searingly honest of contemporary and world fiction...WORD JIG gathers the best of recent Scottish writing."--Chris Dolan "...a startling and varied range of voices that revew literature's engagement with the world...."--Chuck Wachtel "The points of reference range from Scott Fitzgerald to Eminen, in a fine collection that is all about Scotland NOW. Enjoy!"--Alan Spence
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
A star is assigned to books of unusual merit, determined by the editors of Kirkus Reviews. A vivid mix of realism and fantasy (distinguished by editor Carter as "the gritty down-to-earth . . . [and work of] a profound metaphysical and fantastical bent"), in an engaging collection of prose poems, short stories, and novel excerpts by 26 young Scottish authors. The briefer pieces (most less than a page long) are generally least impressive, partial exceptions being Jen Hadfield's folklore-derived vignettes and Margaret Downie's dreamy, imaginative "The Stone" and "Death." Excerpts from longer works include Andrew Grieg's offbeat examination of the wary mutual attraction between a young engineer and a tempestuous Western Islander ("Ammonia in Orkney"); Suhayl Saadi's richly atmospheric look at immigrant South Asian street gangs ("Kings of the Dark House"); and Anne Donovan's boisterous and delightful tale of an ordinary husband and father smitten with Eastern wisdom, narrated in thick, racy Glaswegian dialect ("Buddha Da"). Nothing else in the volume equals the wry hilarity of Donovan's spirited little masterpiece, but several of the stories per se are not to be missed. Realism is well served by Edward Clapp's "Nineteen Things I Remember About the West End of Glasgow," the ruminations of a student who boards with a down-at-the-heels actress; Valerie Thornton's sympathetic portrayal of a lonely motherless girl whose "ghost pets" insulate her from boys' indifferent cruelty ("A Bird in the Hand"); and Tom Murray's dramatization of the mingled guilt, sorrow and denial felt by an adolescent ("The Boy") attending the funeral of his best (female) friend. Less conventional tales include Ali Smith's annoyingly coy explication of how fictions develop ("The Universal Story"); Michael Faber's astute look at the generation gaps that splinter a vacationing American family ("Vanilla-Bright Like Eminem"); and, notably, Linda Henderson's contemporary fairy tale about a shepherd curse --Kirkus, June 15th, 2003
About the Author
MARIE CARTER is the author of the memoir The Trapeze Diaries (Hanging Loose Press). Her work has been published in the Brooklyn Rail, Bloom, Spectacle, Turntable + Bluelight, and in the anthology Best Creative Nonfiction (W.W. Norton). She serves as associate editor of Hanging Loose Press, where she has edited the anthologies Word Jig and Voices of the City. She holds an MA in English Literature from Edinburgh University.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Daring, inventive and searingly honest,
By "hangingloosepress" (Seattle, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Word Jig: New Fiction from Scotland (Paperback)
How do you like your Scotch ?Island or Highland? In Word Jig there's the smoke and peat of the Glens, the pungency of urban Lowlands and badlands, the sea-tang of Orkney: Scottish writing has the power to lull dreams into life, and rub salt in wounds. Word Jig is a dance across the rugged landscape of modern Scotland. From the keen eye of internationally acclaimed Michel Faber to the dizzying imagination of equally celebrated Ali Smith. You'll find newer talents too: Suhayl Saadi's and Linda Henderson's simultaneously fresh and deeply ancient voices. There's delicacy and deftness in Thornton and Stewart; magic and realness throughout. Hear living Gaelic, the music of Scots-Italian, west coast accents brandished like flick-knives. As soon as one story has captivated and convinced you, another comes along, introducing a whole new Scotland. Scottish writing is one of the most daring, inventive and searingly honest of contemporary world fiction - without abandoning the great narrative tradition of Stevenson and Scott. Whether these pieces are lamenting the fading of dreams, glorying in the hazards of reckless street-life, or finding grains of truth in myths, they share an honesty, humanity and a love of storytelling. From hillwalking to trainspotting, Word Jig gathers the best of recent Scottish writing. With its Buddhas and Dali and Eminem, it could just as easily have been called World Jig: this collection reaches far beyond old Scotia's shores. Each piece has the singularity of a long-matured single malt; together they make the most delicate and potent Scottish blend. Sit back and enjoy - there's plenty more where this came from.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Not Scottish,
By BooksByCategory.com (World Wide Web) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Word Jig: New Fiction from Scotland (Paperback)
No tartans. No kilts. No bagpipes. No shortbread. No moors or mountains. One ghost.
"many of the writers included here were not even born in Scotland" admits Editor Marie Carter."
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