People Like That
The Collected Short Stories
Written by Agnes Owens / Introduction by William Letford
£4.99
- Paperback
- E-Book
Reviews
Agnes Owens is one of Scotland's finest writers, and it's to be hoped that a new readership is about to discover that for themselves
SNACK Magazine
‘Agnes Owens was such a fine writer. Her best stories are great stories . . . she created an art that will endure’
James Kelman
About the Book
People Like That comprises Agnes Owens’ complete life's work in short stories. Witty and dark, Owens’ spare prose shocks and delights. Her talent for pithy, unsettling tales is as sharp as ever, confirming her place as one of Scotland’s finest contemporary writers.
Published to celebrate Agnes Owens' centenary year in 2026.
The Authors
Agnes Owens
Agnes Owens was always a writer, although for the majority of her life she was preoccupied with making a living and domesticity. She married twice, brought up seven children and variously worked as a typist, cleaner and factory worker. It wasn’t until she attended an evening creative writing course that she wrote her first novel Gentlemen of the West, published in 1984 by Polygon to widespread critical acclaim; she would go on to write a further five novellas, including A Working Mother and For the Love of Willie, and three short-story collections. She died in 2014.
William Letford
William Letford has worked as a roofer, on and off, since he was fifteen years old. He has received a New Writer’s Award from the Scottish Book Trust and an Edwin Morgan Travel Bursary which allowed him to spend three months in the mountains of northern Italy helping to restore a medieval village. He has an M.Litt in Creative Writing from the University of Glasgow.
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