This collection of short stories deals with the Scottish character as viewed through the prism of the latter part of the 20th century. The personnel we encounter are depictions of various aspects of the human condition which are paradigmatic of the afflictions which continue to assail and torture the Scottish nation. The protagonists range from those who (typically) migrated and found success to the desperate whose consciousness left this mortal coil prematurely due to that Scottish and human characteristic which is sometimes known as the illness of despair. In between these extremes there are the hopelessly ordinary, the pessimistic and those who display the classic Scottish proclivity of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. While primarily focused on the Scottish malaise, there is humour within, albeit often mixed with a tartan hue of deep sarcasm.
The novella ‘1 Prague. Outside, places the Scottish protagonist amongst a group of foreign, largely English, migrant workers in the Czech capital during the 1990’s. The city is booming and confident and the Anglophone gastarbeiter are having the time of their lives. All apart from our man who cannot come to terms with his existential angst and his disdain at all around him, all that is except his Scots-Canadian brethren to whom he passes an authentic piece of Scotland.
Bryan Stewart runs the Scottish Cultural Centre and Caledonian School of English in Sofia, Bulgaria, where he lives with his wife, Branimira and two children, Andrew and Alison.
