The Fall of Kelvin Walker: A Fable of the Sixties
Encyclopedia
The 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.
' in the library of his home town of Glaik, travels to swinging-sixties London
to succeed as a television interviewer and newspaper columnist through nothing more than his aptitude for spin
and a diabolical will to power, only to return, chastened, to Scotland
and to God.
Drawing on a mixture of Scottish archetype
s and British stereotype
s and expressing all the author's cynicism towards religion, the media and the imperial British centre, this brief fable
was reportedly inspired by Gray's own visit to London as a struggling artist to record a documentary called Under The Helmet (in which he tried to increase his sales by suggesting that he was dead).
put it;
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Alasdair Gray
Alasdair Gray
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...
. The book was adapted from Gray's earlier play
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
of the same title. It was originally published by Canongate in 1985 and the revised text was published by Penguin Books
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
in 1986.
Plot summary
Kelvin, freed from his strict Calvinist upbringing through discovering Nietzsche and 'the divine IngersollRobert G. Ingersoll
Robert Green "Bob" Ingersoll was a Civil War veteran, American political leader, and orator during the Golden Age of Freethought, noted for his broad range of culture and his defense of agnosticism. He was nicknamed "The Great Agnostic."-Life and career:Robert Ingersoll was born in Dresden, New York...
' in the library of his home town of Glaik, travels to swinging-sixties London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to succeed as a television interviewer and newspaper columnist through nothing more than his aptitude for spin
Spin (public relations)
In public relations, spin is a form of propaganda, achieved through providing an interpretation of an event or campaign to persuade public opinion in favor or against a certain organization or public figure...
and a diabolical will to power, only to return, chastened, to Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and to God.
Drawing on a mixture of Scottish archetype
Archetype
An archetype is a universally understood symbol or term or pattern of behavior, a prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated...
s and British stereotype
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
s and expressing all the author's cynicism towards religion, the media and the imperial British centre, this brief fable
Fable
A fable is a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, mythical creatures, plants, inanimate objects or forces of nature which are anthropomorphized , and that illustrates a moral lesson , which may at the end be expressed explicitly in a pithy maxim.A fable differs from...
was reportedly inspired by Gray's own visit to London as a struggling artist to record a documentary called Under The Helmet (in which he tried to increase his sales by suggesting that he was dead).
Critical response
The work received little critical attention. Stephen Bernstein's Alasdair Gray provides its most extensive reading, alongside its companion-piece McGrotty and Ludmilla. It is considered one of Gray's minor works. However Kelvin Walker did receive some praise from reviewers; as the Edinburgh ReviewEdinburgh Review
The Edinburgh Review, founded in 1802, was one of the most influential British magazines of the 19th century. It ceased publication in 1929. The magazine took its Latin motto judex damnatur ubi nocens absolvitur from Publilius Syrus.In 1984, the Scottish cultural magazine New Edinburgh Review,...
put it;
- "If Kelvin Walker had been published when it was first written, it would have been an accomplished and distinctive debut."