A History Maker
by Alasdair Gray
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Description
A tale of border warfare, military and erotic, set in the twenty-third century, where the women rule the kingdom and the men play war games. This is the fictional memoir of Wat Dryhope - edited, annotated and commented upon. History has come to an end, war is regulated as if it's all a game. But Wat, the History Maker himself, does not play entirely by the rules, and when a woman, Delilah Puddock, joins the fray, this 'utopian' history is further enlivened. Alasdair Gray cleverly plays with show more the notion and writing of history, as well as perennial modern debates on war, sexism and society - entertaining and thought-provoking, this is a delightful satire illustrated throughout by the author. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
A lighlty imagined Scotland three centuries into the future when highly regulated pitched battles between armies lead by contemporary war lords are watched on TV as the equivalent of today's Premier League football. But the detail of the imaginary future is less important than what Gray has to say about history and where it has lead us to in the world of today. His notes and asides show a properly cynical overview of centuries of human development dominated by greed, selfishness and aggression. Gray tries to give us a more optimistic future but his hero has feet of clay and in the end confirms the author's bleak view of the world.
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Allegorical musings on war masquerading as a rambunctious novel set in 23rd-century Scotland, which, here, more resembles the Highlands in the time of Bonnie Prince Charlie. A journey to the future, with an edge blunted by whimsy but nonetheless sly and startling as Gray turns history on its head.
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Author Information
42+ Works 7,413 Members
Alasdair James Gray was born on Dec. 28, 1934, in Glasgow to Amy (Fleming) and Alexander Gray. His mother worked in a clothing warehouse, his father in construction. Mr. Gray studied design and mural painting at the Glasgow College of Art. When he graduated in 1957, he was commissioned to paint murals around Glasgow, which he continued to create show more until 2014. He worked on freelance projects and also wrote plays before publishing his first novel. Whether he was creating etchings for his books or a mural to adorn the ceiling of the Glasgow arts and entertainment venue Oran Mor, Mr. Gray created an unusual niche for himself encompassing Scotland's literary and artistic spheres. While his murals can be found at subway stops and restaurants in Glasgow, some of his works are in the collection of the National Galleries of Scotland. In addition to writing fiction, poems and plays for the stage, television and radio Mr. Gray published an autobiography, A Life in Pictures, in 2010. It combined photos, written descriptions and lavish illustrations to reveal that much of Mr. Gray's personal life was embedded in his work. Alasdair James Gray passed away on December 29, 2019 at the age of 85. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Awards and Honors
Awards
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- A History Maker
- Original publication date
- 1994
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 279
- Popularity
- 115,137
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (3.59)
- Languages
- English, French, German, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 10
- ASINs
- 3
