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Alasdair Gray (b1934)
Who?
A leading light of new Scottish writing. A master of clever sharp-tongued humour with a wild imagination for storytelling.
Must reads
Lanark: A Life in Four Books (1981), Unlikely Stories, Mostly (1983), 1982, Janine (1984), The Fall of Kelvin Walker (1985), Lean Tales (1985), McGrotty and Ludmilla (1989), Something Leather (1990), Poor Things (1992) and A History Maker (1994).
Darkest hour
When writing Lanark, he often felt that it was getting out of control.
Greatest triumph
Also Lanark, which met with much praise for its huge range and was regarded as heralding a renaissance in Scottish writing.
Essential quotes
'Glasgow, the sort of industrial city where most people live nowadays but nobody imagines living.' (Lanark)
'Of course in nature the only ending is death, but death hardly ever happens when people are at their best. That is why we like tragedies. They show men energetically with their wits about them and deserving to do it.' (Lanark)
Gossip
He was a painter first and only came to novel-writing in his mid forties.
Did u know?
He usually designs his own book covers.
What to say
His writing is often erotic, full of energetic characterisation, the use of vernacular accents of Glasgow, but some have criticised him as too parochially Scottish and dark.
Don't say
Gray is this year's Greene.
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