James Kelman offers us a harrowing glimpse into a realm where power is unchecked and liberties are few or nonexistent. “It is a singular achievement that Kelman succeeds in so unsettling us ... Something of a masterpiece" (The Independent).Taking us into an unnamed territory that appears to be under military rule, Kelman creates a world that many know or have known, a world that may one day be thrust upon us, conjuring a grim awareness of the instability that lurks behind the veneer of order in any country. Combining dark, Kafkaesque visions with uncompromising, Beckett-like prose, Kelman has written a novel that is often shocking yet surprisingly poignant, and totally unforgettable.“Reminds us that fiction can be more than parochial, more than glamorous literary noise, more than journalism. Kelman offers us a challenge. We should accept it.” — The Sunday Times (London)"Reminiscent of the great dramatic poets of 20th-century literature... Harold Pinter and Samuel Beckett.” — Los Angeles Times Book ReviewJames Kelman His novel Greyhound or Breakfast won the 1987 Cheltenham Prize; A Disaffection won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and was shortlisted for the 1989 Booker Prize and Translated Accounts was longlisted for the 2001 Booker Prize. His novel How late it was, how late won the 1994 Booker Prize. James Kelman was also shortlisted for The Man Booker International Prize in 2009 and 2011. Set in an unnamed place that appears to be under military rule, this novel comprises of various 'transcribed and/or translated' first-hand narratives of non-English speakers, reminiscent of accounts of incidents in Rwanda, Yugoslavia and even the Cultural Revolution in China. The fragmented, dream like episodes and the broken elegance of the language make "Translated Accounts" a powerful and disconcerting read Set in an unnamed place that appears to be under military rule, this book comprises of various 'transcribed and/or translated' first-hand narratives of non-English speakers, reminiscent of accounts of incidents in Rwanda, Yugoslavia and even the Cultural Revolution in China. This novel is set in an unnamed country that appears to be under military rule. The language used is an atypical English form, but akin to the basic translation that might appear within a department of an overseas foreign office
