The Complete Short Stories

by Agnes Owens, Liz Lochhead (Introduction)

The complete life work of Agnes Owens in short stories - everything from Gentlemen of the West, Lean Tales, People Like That and 14 brand new unpublished stories.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.

’A terrific collection,’ - The Times

’Her black humour and piercing observation bear comparison with the work of Muriel Spark,’ - Guardian

’It’s almost impossible to pick up this substantial collection and find anything more worthwhile to do for the rest of the day than read it cover to cover,’- Rosemary Goring, The Herald

’The woman is a genius,’ - Daily Mail

'Essential reading. It is Agnes Owens at her subtle, concise best - truthful, humane and quite brilliant' - Times Literary Supplement

’Her stories...carry the emotional clout of a knockout punch,’ - Observer

’Owens is a rare treasure,’ - Allan Massie, The Scotsman

’Acerbic, wicked, utterly honest, sly, gothic, brilliantly black deadpan funny,’ - Liz Lochead, Sunday Herald

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Scotland, Literature, British Literature, Literary Fiction, Classics

373 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2008

About the author

Agnes Owens was a Scottish author. She was born in Milngavie in 1926 and spent most of her life on the west coast of Scotland. She has been married twice and raised seven children, also working as a cleaner, typist and factory worker.

Via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnes_O...

Reviews

[MJ Nicholls · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for The Dark Side, the final fourteen stories from Owens, published in this volume in 2008 (not that her work has a “light” side). These are shorter, blunter pieces than the earlier works, each offering its own miserable portrait of the murkier side of Scottish working-class existence, from the lecherous, drunken, unloving, and cruel to the even more so. Owens’s novellas and stories are some of the most incisive in the Scots canon and this volume is essential for fans of incisiveness and despair in Scotland. The other collections featured here are Gentlemen of the West, Lean Tales, and People Like That. Owens departed this earth in 2014.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading the first story in this collection I felt like I was on the verge of discovering a wonderful new writer. Except she's not new. The first story, Arabella, was terrific: mordantly black, funny, strong punchy narrative and descriptions.
That story remained one of the strongest, but there were many others too that delighted. The wicked black streak showed up periodically, especially in the later stories.
The writing is direct and concise. The author disappears, leaving only the reader and the characters. The stories mostly are of the working poor, unemployed and unemployable, set in Scotland. Agnes Owens came from that world, and she wrote of what she knew, and she has done it brilliantly.

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why am I giving Agnes Owen 5 stars - is she as good as Joyce or Carver? Probably not, but she does precisely what she sets out to do with mordant wit and clever understatement. These stories are wonderful, their low key scenarios of pawning a TV or violence in a bus queue perfectly illuminate the corners of working class Scotland Owen writes about. I haven't read them all yet, dipping in on bus journeys or waiting for the kettle to boil - they're all quite short - but every one hits home. A delight.

..just to add, got fed up with the novel I was reading, so picked this up again (it was nearby), and it was so refreshing to read such finely focused and sharp and funny stuff..

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bleak, witty, perceptive - these deceptively straightforward stories leave the reader unsettled and moved. The majority of Owens' stories deal with the urban poor of Scotland, struggling to deal with the hand they've been dealt. Owens portrays their plight in a matter of fact and non-judgmental way, yet places you right in the heart of their situation. There is comedy and pathos, small victories and great failures.

Particularly memorable were Bus Queue and When Shankland Comes , but all the stories share the same understated prose and understanding of the human condition.

[Tuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

i had lots to say about this at 2am, now its 10am. at work. not much to say.
one thing, "gentlemen of the west" is very much like "tortilla flat" by steinbeck.
two thing, never mess with a witch.
three thing, how can you be a misanthrope and be kind, generous, and empathetic at the same time? owens' characters can.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this complete short stories book of Agnes Owen. Some of the stories have a sinister Roald Dahlness about them, which I loved. I really enjoyed the stories where the main character meets a German tourist and the one entitled Rose - definitely my favourites from the collection. I wish I could rate this more a 3.5. The stories give an insight into living in the poorer areas of Scotland, especially during the Thatcher years.

[Kate]

An absolutely brilliant and not-nearly-as-well-known-as-she-ought-to-be Scottish short story writer. It's a joy to have all of her stories collected in one volume.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Breath-takingly good short stories, memorable characters and once you've read these you'll be buying it for your friends' birthdays for months to come.

[Jaslo · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful, fun, Scottish, depressing, poignant, boozy, Scottish.

[Donald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Agnes Owen’s characters are down and out, reflections from her own life and the lives of the people around her. They are mired in addiction and stagnation without any real hope. Their attempts to escape their dire circumstances become comical and few, it seems, get out alive. Scottish writers,like Douglas Stuart, owe it all to Owens.

[Liz Moffat · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great collection of all Agnes Owens short stories and her novellas. Gentlemen of the West and The Dark Side were really good but all had humour in them while tackling difficult subjects. This is a collection I will read again.

[eliseazanotti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Arabella freaked me out.

[Eòghann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bheirinn 4.5 ach cha robh an cruinneachadh mu dheireadh math idir (the dark side).

[Lyndsey · Rating 1 out of 5]

some very odd stories...not really my cup of tea!

[Poptart19 (the name’s ren)]

3 stars

A gritty look at working class life in 20th C Scotland