Glasgow in 5 famous books

Glasgow, Scotland’s largest city and home to Hampden Park, the revived Barras and no less than seven Travelodge hotels. The city is full of art galleries, music venues and excellent theatres, so it’s no wonder that its busy streets have been attracting creative spirits for hundreds of years. Meet Glasgow’s literary history head-on with these works that were created in or about this powerful city.

1. How Late it Was, How Late, by James Kelman (1994)

A stream of consciousness novel by a Scottish author, How Late it Was, How Late caused a lot of controversy when it won the Man Booker Prize in 1994. One of the judges walked out when the decision was announced.

The book follows the trials and tribulations of Sammy, an ex-convict and shoplifter with a strong Glaswegian dialect. Much of the novel takes place in police cells and hospital centres around Glasgow, but Sammy does make one important trip to Quinn’s bar and Glancy’s bar in the bustling city centre.

Walk in Sammy’s shoes with a visit to the bars, shops and restaurants around the Buchanan Galleries, and then rest your weary legs with a room at our Glasgow Central Travelodge.

2. The Sacred Art of Stealing, by Christopher Brookmyre (2002)

This satirical crime novel features Zal Innez who is persuaded to rob a bank in Glasgow city centre. Gathering a group of artists to carry out the plot, Zal uses a series of strange and unconventional approaches to thievery. Not only are his comrades dressed as clowns, they’re also making drawings of the hostages. The plot focuses on the city centre and visits Buchanan Street, Gordon Street and the Kelvingrove Gallery among others.

3. The Cutting Room, by Louise Welsh (2002)

Another Scottish author, Louise Welsh’s début novel is a dark mystery set in the city of Glasgow as the unlikely hero, Rilke, sets out to uncover the story behind a series of disturbing photographs. The book gives us a chance to follow Rilke into the back rooms and seedy taverns of Glasgow’s intriguing underworld to meet a cast of dodgy-dealers leading secret lives.

4. Gillespie and I, by Jane Harris (1963)

Told through the eyes of narrator Harriet Baxter, the novel visits Glasgow in 1888, the time of the International Exhibition. The Glasgow we see in this novel provides a hilly, wet backdrop to the narrator’s story. Told through her eyes, we get a historic picture of Victorian Glasgow and the characters that inhabit it, from the struggling artists to the wealthy elite.

5. The Death of Bees, by Lisa O’Donnell (2013)

The most recent of our Glasgow-based novels, The Death of Bees looks at the strange reality of two young sisters who live in one of Glasgow’s infamous housing projects. The book gives an insight into the more deprived areas of Glasgow, but avoids many of the usual clichés, giving an unusual glimpse into the lives of two young girls, attempting to live a normal life in an abnormal situation.