| Alasdair Gray |
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Alasdair Gray (born December 28 , 1934 ) 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, which is now regarded as a cult classic. His novel ''Poor Things'' (1992) won the Whitbread Book of the Year Award. National Library of Scotland 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 . He has been described by author Will Self as "a creative Polymath with an integrated politico-philosophic vision",Moores ed. ''Alasdair Gray: Critical Appreciations and a Bibliography'' (2001) p. 4. and by himself as "a fat, spectacled, balding, increasingly old Glasgow pedestrian".Gray, ''The Ends of Our Tethers'', Dustjacket (recto). LIFE Gray was born in 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 . Gray illustrates his books himself, and has produced many Mural s as well as paintings. 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 . 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 Glasgow. He produced the ceiling mural for The Auditorium of the Oran Mor on Byres Road in Glasgow, one of the largest pieces of art in Scotland. QUOTES
:"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 LITERARY WORKS Novel s
Short Stories
Poetry
Non-fiction
DRAMATIC WORKS (VERY INCOMPLETE) Theatre
TELEVISION RADIO The Loss Of The Golden Silence (1973) REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS |
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