The last two decades have seen a new renaissance in Scottish literary culture with a blossoming of the Scottish novel reminiscent of the heyday of Scott, Hogg and Galt in the 19th century. This book looks at the phenomenon through the eyes of academics, critics, poets and novelists. It focuses on the work of seven major authors - Robin Jenkins, Iain Crichton Smith, Muriel Spark, William McIlvanney, James Kelman, Alasdair Gray and Iain Banks - but includes the work of many more rising writers. Chapters by well-known critics and writers look at recurrent themes in the Scottish novel, including gender issues, the idea of disintegration, politicalism and the importance of elegy, archaism and myth in Scottish writing. There is also a chapter on the characteristics of the "Glasgow novel". A full bibliography of Scottish novels since 1970 brings this unique collection right up-to-date.