Monday, 14 January 2013

The Telegraph - James Kelman: Imperialist English are 'in control' of Scottish arts

James Kelman, the only Scot to win the Booker Prize, said the English heads of Scottish arts bodies do not realise Scotland is a nation and assume it “doesn’t exist” until they foist their own culture upon it.
His intervention further stirred up the controversy that erupted last week when Alasdair Gray, the writer and artists, attacked English “colonists” who hold influential jobs in Scottish culture.





Although Mr Kelman insisted he held no personal grudges against figures such as Vicky Featherstone, the outgoing National Theatre of Scotland’s outgoing artistic director, he argued that being British means submitting to the English upper class.
The Glaswegian author of How Late It Was, How Late denied his views were anti-English or xenophobic but they were rejected by a series of Scottish arts leaders, who argued nationality was irrelevant.
Miss Featherstone, from Surrey, is leaving Glasgow to take up a post at London’s Royal Court Theatre but disclosed last week she disclosed anti-English bullying to such an extent it briefly left her unable to do her job.

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