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Alasdair Gray: A Secretary's Biography (2008)

by Rodge Glass

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532489,298 (3.21)None
Biography & Autobiography. Nonfiction. HTML:

Alasdair Gray, author of the modern classics Lanark, Poor Things and 1982, Janine, is without doubt Scotland's greatest living novelist. Since trying (unsuccessfully) to buy him a drink in 1998, Rodge Glass, first tutee and then secretary to the author, takes on the role of biographer, charting Gray's life from unpublished and unrecognised son of a box-maker to septuagenarian "little grey deity" (as Will Self has called him). A Jewish Mancunian Boswell to Gray's Johnson, Glass seamlessly weaves a chronological narrative of his subject's life into his own diary of meeting, getting to know and working with the artist, writer and campaigner, to create a vibrant and wonderfully textured portrait of a literary great.

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Alasdair Gray tends to raid his biography in his books so there was not much surprising in this. But it was well written and the modern, diary sections are very interesting. Here the author is actually working with Gray on and off and so gives a more personal, intimate portrayal of the man.
Of course it is only one man's personal views and so no doubt open to dispute. But interesting to read none the less.
Gray is a very important Scottish writer/artist and it is good to see that someone who actually knew him has written a biography. Worth reading because Gray is worth reading. ( )
  munchkinstein | Sep 25, 2008 |
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Epigraph
A secretary does his duty.

A short poem about junk e-mail accounts, and the problems of introducing ageing artists to the subtleties of the form.

Alasdair!
Don't look!
What? he says. What is it? Show me!
I click, to messages from
Viagratastic; Nikkicam;
WecanmakeyouthreeinchesbiggerbyChristmas.
The great man stands, paces, pouts, points skyward
(He replies to all his mail) says, Take dictation!

'Dear Sir or Madam,
You will do no such thing.
Yours truly.'

RG 2003.
Dedication
This book is blamed on Ross McConnell, who introduced me to the work of Alasdair Gray in 1998, and persuaded me to to stick with it.

In memory of the people in this story who died while it was being written: Angus Calder, Archie Hind, Malcolm Hood, Philip Hobsbaum, Ian McIlhenny, Alasdair Taylor and Jeff Torrington.

A biography is a joint effort.
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Biography & Autobiography. Nonfiction. HTML:

Alasdair Gray, author of the modern classics Lanark, Poor Things and 1982, Janine, is without doubt Scotland's greatest living novelist. Since trying (unsuccessfully) to buy him a drink in 1998, Rodge Glass, first tutee and then secretary to the author, takes on the role of biographer, charting Gray's life from unpublished and unrecognised son of a box-maker to septuagenarian "little grey deity" (as Will Self has called him). A Jewish Mancunian Boswell to Gray's Johnson, Glass seamlessly weaves a chronological narrative of his subject's life into his own diary of meeting, getting to know and working with the artist, writer and campaigner, to create a vibrant and wonderfully textured portrait of a literary great.

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