You Have to Be Careful in the Land of the Free by James Kelman

In 1946, James Kelman was born in Glasgow. He worked in the printing industry and as a bus driver after dropping out of school at the age of 15. In 1971, he enrolled in creative writing night classes, and his first collection of short stories, An Old Tavern Near the Angel, was published by an American firm in 1973. Greyhound for Breakfast won the 1987 Cheltenham Award; A Disaffection was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize; and How Late It Was, How Late won the 1994 Booker Prize in the middle of a storm of controversy. He's also authored a number of theatrical and radio plays. With his wife and children, he lives in Glasgow.