Alasdair Gray
Encyclopedia
Alasdair Gray is a Scottish writer and artist
. His most acclaimed work is his first novel Lanark
, published in 1981 and written over a period of almost 30 years. It is now regarded as a classic, and was described by The Guardian
as "one of the landmarks of 20th-century fiction." His novel Poor Things
(1992) won the Whitbread Novel Award and the Guardian Fiction Prize. He is a Scottish civic nationalist
and a republican
.
Gray's works combine elements of realism
, fantasy
, and science fiction
, plus clever use of typography
and his own illustration
s. He has also written on politics
, in support of socialism
and Scottish independence
, and on the history of English literature. He has been described by author Will Self
as "a creative polymath
with an integrated politico-philosophic vision", and as "a great writer, perhaps the greatest living in this archipelago today" and by himself as "a fat, spectacled, balding, increasingly old Glasgow pedestrian".
Gray was born in Riddrie
, east Glasgow
. His father had been wounded in the First World War
and worked at the time in a factory, while his mother worked in a shop. During the Second World War, Gray was evacuated to Perthshire
and then Lanarkshire
, experiences which he drew on in his later fiction. The family lived on a council scheme, and Gray received his education from a combination of state education
, (at Whitehill Secondary School
), public libraries
, and public service broadcasting: "the kind of education British governments now consider useless, especially for British working class children", as he later commented. He studied at Glasgow School of Art
from 1952 to 1957, and taught there from 1958 to 1962. It was as a student that he first began what would become the novel Lanark.
After his graduation, Gray worked as a scene and portrait painter, as well as an independent artist and writer. His first plays were broadcast on radio and television in 1968. Between 1972 and 1974, he participated in a writing group organised by Philip Hobsbaum
, where he met James Kelman
, Liz Lochhead
, and Tom Leonard
. From 1977 to 1979, he was Writer in Residence at Glasgow University. In 2001, he became, with Tom Leonard and James Kelman, joint Professor of the Creative Writing programme at Glasgow and Strathclyde Universities.
Gray illustrates his books himself, and has produced many mural
s as well as paintings. One of his longest-lasting murals can be seen in the Ubiquitous Chip
restaurant in the West End of Glasgow.
In 2001, he stood as the candidate of the Glasgow University Scottish Nationalist Association
for the post of Rector
of the University of Glasgow
, but was eventually narrowly defeated by Greg Hemphill
. Formerly a supporter of the Scottish National Party
and the Scottish Socialist Party
, at the 2010 UK General Election he supported his local Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate, Katy Gordon. He is a civic nationalist
, stating in his 1992 book Why Scots Should Rule Scotland: "The title of this book may sound threatening to those who live in Scotland but were born and educated elsewhere, so I had better explain that by Scots I mean everyone in Scotland who is eligible to vote".
He has been married twice: firstly to Inge Sorenson (1961–1970), and since 1991 to Morag McAlpine. He has one son, Andrew, born in 1964. He still lives in the West End of Glasgow.
He produced the ceiling mural for The Auditorium of the Oran Mor on Byres Road
in Glasgow, one of the largest works of art in Scotland. http://www.heraldscotland.com/arts-ents/book-features/gray-s-anatomy-of-the-bigger-picture-1.927754
Gray frequently uses the quotation, "Work as if you live in the early days of a better nation", which is engraved in the Canongate Wall of the Scottish Parliament building
. He attributes the quote to Canadian author Dennis Lee
. http://www.sundayherald.com/news/heraldnews/display.var.1379965.0.work_as_if_you_live_in_the_early_days_of_a_better_nation.php
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
. His most acclaimed work is his first novel Lanark
Lanark (book)
Lanark, subtitled A Life in Four Books, is the first novel of Scottish writer Alasdair Gray. Written over a period of almost thirty years, it combines realist and dystopian fantasy depictions of his home city of Glasgow....
, published in 1981 and written over a period of almost 30 years. It is now regarded as a classic, and was described by The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
as "one of the landmarks of 20th-century fiction." His novel Poor Things
Poor Things
Poor Things is a novel by Scottish writer Alasdair Gray, published in 1992. It won the Whitbread Novel Award in 1992 and the Guardian Fiction Prize for 1992....
(1992) won the Whitbread Novel Award and the Guardian Fiction Prize. He is a Scottish civic nationalist
Scottish national identity
Scottish national identity is a term referring to the sense of national identity and common culture of Scottish people and is shared by a considerable majority of the people of Scotland....
and a republican
Republicanism in the United Kingdom
Republicanism in the United Kingdom is the movement which seeks to remove the British monarchy and replace it with a republic that has a non-hereditary head of state...
.
Gray's works combine elements of realism
Literary realism
Literary realism most often refers to the trend, beginning with certain works of nineteenth-century French literature and extending to late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century authors in various countries, towards depictions of contemporary life and society "as they were." In the spirit of...
, fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
, and science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
, plus clever use of typography
Typography
Typography is the art and technique of arranging type in order to make language visible. The arrangement of type involves the selection of typefaces, point size, line length, leading , adjusting the spaces between groups of letters and adjusting the space between pairs of letters...
and his own illustration
Illustration
An illustration is a displayed visualization form presented as a drawing, painting, photograph or other work of art that is created to elucidate or dictate sensual information by providing a visual representation graphically.- Early history :The earliest forms of illustration were prehistoric...
s. He has also written on politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
, in support of socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
and Scottish independence
Scottish independence
Scottish independence is a political ambition of political parties, advocacy groups and individuals for Scotland to secede from the United Kingdom and become an independent sovereign state, separate from England, Wales and Northern Ireland....
, and on the history of English literature. He has been described by author Will Self
Will Self
William Woodard "Will" Self is an English novelist and short story writer. His fictional style is known for being satirical, grotesque, and fantastical. He is a prolific commentator on contemporary British life, with regular appearances on Newsnight and Question Time...
as "a creative polymath
Polymath
A polymath is a person whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas. In less formal terms, a polymath may simply be someone who is very knowledgeable...
with an integrated politico-philosophic vision", and as "a great writer, perhaps the greatest living in this archipelago today" and by himself as "a fat, spectacled, balding, increasingly old Glasgow pedestrian".
Life
Riddrie
Riddrie is a north eastern district of Glasgow, Scotland. It lies on the A80 Cumbernauld Road.Riddrie is a residential area mainly consisting of 1930s semi-detached houses, originally built as council housing but now largely privately owned. The former Monkland Canal to the north was filled in the...
, east Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. His father had been wounded in the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and worked at the time in a factory, while his mother worked in a shop. During the Second World War, Gray was evacuated to Perthshire
Perthshire
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...
and then Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire or the County of Lanark ) is a Lieutenancy area, registration county and former local government county in the central Lowlands of Scotland...
, experiences which he drew on in his later fiction. The family lived on a council scheme, and Gray received his education from a combination of state education
Education in Scotland
Scotland has a long history of universal provision of public education, and the Scottish education system is distinctly different from the other countries of the United Kingdom...
, (at Whitehill Secondary School
Whitehill Secondary School
Whitehill Secondary School is a Scottish non-denominational comprehensive secondary school located in the suburb of Dennistoun in Glasgow, Scotland...
), public libraries
Public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...
, and public service broadcasting: "the kind of education British governments now consider useless, especially for British working class children", as he later commented. He studied at Glasgow School of Art
Glasgow School of Art
Glasgow School of Art is one of only two independent art schools in Scotland, situated in the Garnethill area of Glasgow.-History:It was founded in 1845 as the Glasgow Government School of Design. In 1853, it changed its name to The Glasgow School of Art. Initially it was located at 12 Ingram...
from 1952 to 1957, and taught there from 1958 to 1962. It was as a student that he first began what would become the novel Lanark.
After his graduation, Gray worked as a scene and portrait painter, as well as an independent artist and writer. His first plays were broadcast on radio and television in 1968. Between 1972 and 1974, he participated in a writing group organised by Philip Hobsbaum
Philip Hobsbaum
Philip Dennis Hobsbaum was a British teacher, poet and critic.-Life:Hobsbaum was born into a Polish Jewish family in London, and brought up in Bradford, in Yorkshire. He read English at Downing College, Cambridge, where he was taught and heavily influenced by F. R. Leavis...
, where he met James Kelman
James Kelman
James Kelman is an influential writer of novels, short stories, plays and political essays. His novel A Disaffection was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction in 1989...
, Liz Lochhead
Liz Lochhead
Liz Lochhead is a Scottish poet and dramatist, originally from Newarthill in North Lanarkshire.-Background:After attending Glasgow School of Art, Lochhead lectured in fine art for eight years before becoming a professional writer....
, and Tom Leonard
Tom Leonard (poet)
Tom Leonard is a Scottish poet, best known for his poems written in Glaswegian dialect.Tom Leonard has been part of the Scottish literary renaissance for the past forty years...
. From 1977 to 1979, he was Writer in Residence at Glasgow University. In 2001, he became, with Tom Leonard and James Kelman, joint Professor of the Creative Writing programme at Glasgow and Strathclyde Universities.
Gray illustrates his books himself, and has produced many mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
s as well as paintings. One of his longest-lasting murals can be seen in the Ubiquitous Chip
Ashton Lane
Ashton Lane is a cobbled backstreet in the West End of Glasgow. It is connected to Byres Road by a short linking lane beside Hillhead subway station and is noted for its bars, restaurants and a licenced cinema....
restaurant in the West End of Glasgow.
In 2001, he stood as the candidate of the Glasgow University Scottish Nationalist Association
Glasgow University Scottish Nationalist Association
The Glasgow University Scottish Nationalist Association is a student organisation formed in 1927 at the University of Glasgow which supports Scottish independence....
for the post of Rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
, but was eventually narrowly defeated by Greg Hemphill
Greg Hemphill
Gregory "Greg" Hemphill is a Scottish actor and comedian. He has also presented on television and radio. Along with his comedy partner, Ford Kiernan, he is best known in the United Kingdom for his appearances in Still Game and Chewin' the Fat.-Personal life:Hemphill was born in Glasgow, Scotland,...
. Formerly a supporter of the Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
and the Scottish Socialist Party
Scottish Socialist Party
The Scottish Socialist Party is a left-wing Scottish political party. Positioning itself significantly to the left of Scotland's centre-left parties, the SSP campaigns on a socialist economic platform and for Scottish independence....
, at the 2010 UK General Election he supported his local Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate, Katy Gordon. He is a civic nationalist
Civic nationalism
Liberal Nationalism is a kind of nationalism identified by political philosophers who believe in a non-xenophobic form of nationalism compatible with liberal values of freedom, tolerance, equality, and individual rights. Ernest Renan and John Stuart Mill are often thought to be early liberal...
, stating in his 1992 book Why Scots Should Rule Scotland: "The title of this book may sound threatening to those who live in Scotland but were born and educated elsewhere, so I had better explain that by Scots I mean everyone in Scotland who is eligible to vote".
He has been married twice: firstly to Inge Sorenson (1961–1970), and since 1991 to Morag McAlpine. He has one son, Andrew, born in 1964. He still lives in the West End of Glasgow.
He produced the ceiling mural for The Auditorium of the Oran Mor on Byres Road
Byres Road
Byres Road is a street located in Hillhead, Glasgow and is the central artery of the city's West End.- Location and history :Byres Rd is a mixed commercial, shopping and upmarket residential area consisting largely of traditional sandstone tenements with retail premises on the ground floor and...
in Glasgow, one of the largest works of art in Scotland. http://www.heraldscotland.com/arts-ents/book-features/gray-s-anatomy-of-the-bigger-picture-1.927754
Gray frequently uses the quotation, "Work as if you live in the early days of a better nation", which is engraved in the Canongate Wall of the Scottish Parliament building
Scottish Parliament Building
The Scottish Parliament Building is the home of the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, within the UNESCO World Heritage Site in central Edinburgh. Construction of the building commenced in June 1999 and the Members of the Scottish Parliament held their first debate in the new building on 7...
. He attributes the quote to Canadian author Dennis Lee
Dennis Lee (author)
Dennis Beynon Lee, OC, MA is a Canadian poet, teacher, editor, and critic born in Toronto, Ontario. He is also a children's writer, well known for his book of children's rhymes, Alligator Pie.-Life:...
. http://www.sundayherald.com/news/heraldnews/display.var.1379965.0.work_as_if_you_live_in_the_early_days_of_a_better_nation.php
Quotes
- "Work as if you live in the early days of a better nation." (Various works; he attributes it to the Canadian author Dennis Lee http://www.sundayherald.com/news/heraldnews/display.var.1379965.0.work_as_if_you_live_in_the_early_days_of_a_better_nation.php.)
- "It is plain that the vaster the social unit, the less possible is true democracy." Lanark, p. 289
- "Who did the council fight?"
- "It split in two and fought itself."
- "That's suicide!"
- "No, ordinary behaviour. The efficient half eats the less efficient half and grows stronger. War is just a violent way of doing what half the people do calmly in peacetime: using the other half for food, heat, machinery and sexual pleasure. Man is the pie that bakes and eats himself, and the recipe is separation."
- "I refuse to believe men kill each other just to make their enemies rich."
- "How can men recognize their real enemies when their family, schools and work teach them to struggle with each other and to believe law and decency come from the teachers?"
- "My son won't be taught that," said Lanark firmly.
- "You have a son?"
- "Not yet." Lanark, p.411
Novels
- LanarkLanark (book)Lanark, subtitled A Life in Four Books, is the first novel of Scottish writer Alasdair Gray. Written over a period of almost thirty years, it combines realist and dystopian fantasy depictions of his home city of Glasgow....
(1981) - 1982, Janine1982, Janine1982, Janine is a novel by the Scottish author Alasdair Gray. His second, it was published in 1984, and remains his most controversial work...
(1984) - The Fall of Kelvin WalkerThe Fall of Kelvin Walker: A Fable of the SixtiesThe Fall of Kelvin Walker is a novel by Alasdair Gray. The book was adapted from Gray's earlier play of the same title. It was originally published by Canongate in 1985 and the revised text was published by Penguin Books in 1986.-Plot summary:...
(1985) - Something LeatherSomething LeatherSomething Leather is a novel by Alasdair Gray which was published in 1990. Its framing narrative is the story of June's initiation into sado-masochistic activities by the female operators of a leather clothing shop in Glasgow....
(1990) - McGrotty and Ludmilla (1990)
- Poor ThingsPoor ThingsPoor Things is a novel by Scottish writer Alasdair Gray, published in 1992. It won the Whitbread Novel Award in 1992 and the Guardian Fiction Prize for 1992....
(1992) - A History MakerA History MakerA History Maker is a novel by Alisdair Gray first published in 1994. The sources of the novel are to be found in a play by Gray in the 1970s which was titled "The History Maker"...
(1994) - Mavis Belfrage (1996)
- Old Men In LoveOld Men In LoveOld Men In Love is a novel by Alasdair Gray, published by Bloomsbury in 2007. Adapting its central conceit - that it represents a found manuscript by one John Tunnock, which Gray merely edits - from the author's earlier Poor Things, the writing presented as Tunnock's likewise recycles earlier...
(2007)
Short stories
- Unlikely Stories, Mostly (1983)
- Lean TalesLean TalesLean Tales is an anthology of short stories written by Scottish authors Alasdair Gray, Agnes Owens and James Kelman, with author illustrations by Alasdair Gray. Contractually obligated to Jonathan Cape to provide a new book, Gray claimed to find himself without new material or ideas, and so...
(1985) (with James KelmanJames KelmanJames Kelman is an influential writer of novels, short stories, plays and political essays. His novel A Disaffection was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction in 1989...
and Agnes OwensAgnes OwensAgnes Owens is a Scottish author.She was born in Milngavie 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....
) - Ten Tales Tall & True (1993)
- The Ends of Our Tethers (2003)
Poetry
- Old Negatives (1989)
- Sixteen Occasional Poems (2000)
- Collected Verse (2010)
Theatre
- Dialogue - A Duet (1971)
- The Loss Of The Golden Silence (1973)The Loss Of The Golden Silence (1973)The Loss of the Golden Silence is a two-person play about domestic tension by Alasdair Gray, first performed at the Pool Lunch Hour Theatre, Edinburgh in 1973, and later broadcast on radio by the Scottish BBC in 1974, under producer Stewart Conn...
- Homeward Bound - A Trio for Female Chauvinists (1973)
- Sam Lang and Miss Watson - A One Act Sexual Comedy In Four Scenes (1973)
- McGrotty and Ludmilla (1986)
- Working Legs: A Play for Those Without Them (1997)
- Goodbye Jimmy (2006)
- Fleck (2008)
- A Gray Play Book (2009)
Television
- Dialogue - A Duet (1972)
- Today and YesterdayToday and YesterdayToday and Yesterday is a series of three plays by Alasdair Gray about life in nineteenth century Scotland, commissioned by Malcolm Hossack of Scottish BBC Educational Television....
- MartinMartin (Play)Play by Alasdair Gray, recorded on 6 January 1972 and broadcast as the last episode of the BBC TV series The Group. Gray later reworked this material for the chapter 'The Proposal' in his novel Something Leather....
(1972)
Non-fiction
- Why Scots Should Rule Scotland (1992; revised 1997)
- The Book of PrefacesThe Book of PrefacesThe Book of Prefaces, "Edited and Glossed" by the Scottish artist and novelist Alasdair Gray, provides a history of how literature spread and developed through the nations of England, Ireland, Scotland, and the United States...
(ed.) (2000) - How We Should Rule Ourselves (2005)
- A Life in Pictures (2010)
Academic
- The Arts of Alasdair Gray, Robert Crawford and Thom Nairn (1991)
- Alasdair Gray, Stephen Bernstein (1999)
- Alasdair Gray: A Unique Scottish Magus, Joy Hendry (ed.) (2000)
- Alasdair Gray: Critical Appreciations and a Bibliography, Phil Moores (ed.) (2001; includes contributions by Gray himself.)
- Voices from Modern Scotland: Janice Galloway, Alasdair Gray, Bernard Sellin (coord.) (2007)
External links
- Official website
- Alasdair Gray at Edinburgh Central Library (video in several parts)