Saying Dirty Things in Regional Accents
by Neil Campbell
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
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Pub Date Jan 20 2025 | Archive Date Jan 16 2025
Salt Publishing | Salt Modern Stories
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Description
Campbell gives voice to the extraordinary (never ordinary) men and women of Manchester. He goes beyond the King's English and formulaic approaches to short stories to capture, in print, how people really talk. Think James Kelman, Irvine Welsh, but Mancunian. Funny and heartfelt, this book is a romp to whizz through with pleasure. Forget mad for it Madchester, this is the Manchester of now, where Hacienda clichés turn into corporate nightmares and the only art is in marketing.
Advance Praise
Praise for Previous Work
‘(On previous work) In Licensed Premises there is a greater willingness to take risks, to step outside the straitjacket of Carverian restrictions. There is even a stream-of-consciousness experiment in ‘Reeks’, after the style of Jack Kerouac, after the style of Marcel Proust! Yes, really. Although Campbell sees himself as a storyteller and not a social historian, these stories could stand as a record of our time as the work of Gaskell, Dickens, and Mayhew did to a previous century. If you want to understand our modern cities and modern work, let Neil Campbell be your guide.’ —Richard Clegg, Bookmunch
‘(On previous work) Neil Campbell’s Zero Hours is a poetic, emotionally-charged reflection of what it means to live and work in the city today. Its Mancunian voice is so distinct it’s not like reading a novel at all but like having a conversation with modernity itself. Zero Hours is sharp, funny and moving – a wonderful evocation of Manchester life.’ —Lee Rourke
‘(On previous work) Campbell’s narrator is a young working-class man from Manchester. Throughout the novel he works a number of zero hours jobs, first at a mail-sorting depot, later at a number of libraries. There is nearly always something to dishearten our man, be it his duties, colleagues, managers, or just the constant uncertainty that comes with this kind of employment. Besides work, the narrator has a number of unsuccessful attempts at relationships, and sees the face of his city change, losing its character to gentrification. There’s a stop-start feel to reading the novel itself: as with zero hours work, the present moment is all, and even the immediate future uncertain.’ —David Hebblethwaite, David’s Book World
‘(On previous work) If he lived in Glasgow, Campbell would be feted as a son of Kelman and be at the forefront of an Albion Rovers style anthology.’ —Richard Clegg, Manchester Review
‘(On previous work) Licensed Premises, consists of fourteen stories, funny, dour, poignant and fabulous, often all at once.’ —Paul Lamont, Outsideleft
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781784633332 |
| PRICE | £9.99 (GBP) |
| PAGES | 160 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Se O, Reviewer
Thanks to Salt Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC of Neil Campbell's 'Saying Dirty Things in Regional Accents.'
I would describe this as a collection of micro stories, vignettes (as opposed to short stories - the longest being just a few pages) that deal with the mundanity but genuine challenges of everyday life for working class individuals in Manchester. These men and women of various ages see their city changing beyond recognition both in terms of the physical and the social structures without any thought for the working classes. Skyscrapers full of students replace Victorian streetscapes and family restaurants replace pubs with the working class existing in damp flats on the edges.
As I say, these are all very short - some of them a paragraph - but they nearly all pack a real punch and Campbell has a real knack of carrying us along with a fairly routine anecdote and then, literally with the last sentence, drop a real bombshell.
Some of them are almost diary entries and it's hard to imagine how/why they make it into the collection but he really and truly captures the sadness, tragedy, and anxiety of living from payday to payday as well as the small joyful moments and the little victories, even naming one of the stories, 'Little Victories.'
Bella B, Reviewer
Did not read for not downloading the ARC before the archive date. Which breaks my heart because I was incredibly excited to read this book. Nevertheless, here's a 5 star rating for compensation. I do apologise for the inconvenience and the unprofessionalism; best of luck.
Emily D, Reviewer
As a Northern myself, this was great fun to read. It felt like I was on the train/in a cafe/walking down the street overhearing someone’s conversation. The accent was spot on and the phrases were nostalgic and made me smile. A great short story collection that highlights the many variations of the North.
Reviewer 1613465
An amazingly varied short story collection, at times it felt like I was transported back to childhood and listening to conversations my Nan would have at bus stops. Other stories were unsettling, amusing, joyous and brutal in turn. By plumbing the depths of mundanity Campbell shone a raw, unflinching light on the human experience.Or maybe I just feel that because I’m Northern!
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