Cycling UK Forum

One of the great British novelists had shuffled off this mortal coil. I read Lanark when I was but a student and was blown away by it. This polymath artist was an incredible gift to the nation. I was fortunate enough to hear him at a recital of his works at a Sheffield arts Festival, after which he told us jokes and sang a libretto from quite a famous Italian opera, and all with a twinkle and smile.

He'll be sorely missed not only in his own country but In Britain. Will Self was a massive fan and described him as the 'Eminence Gris', his art works litter Scotland and beyond. And his literary output changed the very character of literature in the country. An internationalist and firm believer in Europe, as well as Scottish independence. What a sad loss.

[youtube]wbNXMBvj3ew [/youtube]

A great loss to Glasgow and the world.

Though Lanark was regarded as his best novel, my favourites are (in order) Something Leather, A History Maker and Poor Things.

With both him and Iain Banks now gone I find I read very little fiction.

Never heard of him but then not a great fan of fiction. Much over rated. I did a google and what suprised me he was also celebrated in the visual arts. Thats unusual?

When I meet my sister in London we inevitably end up in Waterstones ( at Trafalgar Sq ) and being assaulted by all those books I think all those trees. Few books are worthy of it. I did see one this Xmas that deserved to be printed a lovely choice of paper colour and illustrations

A great man and a great loss

Never heard of him.
I wiki'd him to find out about him because of this thread.

Sorry, he means nothing to me, though we visited the People's Palace a few times when we lived up there in the 80's

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alasdair_Gray

Have heard of him now, +1
I like to read obituaries but it is sad to learn of someone only after they passed on

There are plenty of other good Scotch authors

I recently reread Lanark. I found it like cycling uphill. Hard work but rewarding.

Most Scottish writers since he appeared have been affected by his writing.

Great writer. I've read quite a lot of his work, fiction and non-fiction.
1982, Janine is a masterpiece.

mercalia wrote:Never heard of him but then not a great fan of fiction. Much over rated. I did a google and what suprised me he was also celebrated in the visual arts. Thats unusual?

When I meet my sister in London we inevitably end up in Waterstones ( at Trafalgar Sq ) and being assaulted by all those books I think all those trees. Few books are worthy of it. I did see one this Xmas that deserved to be printed a lovely choice of paper colour and illustrations

WP_20191222_15_51_34_Pro.jpg

I have to agree with you......and the fact that you and others in this thread have never heard of him clearly means he wasn't much cop.....right?

I can weep if I think how much that guy could have achieved if he hadn't frittered his life away making up stories that weren't true and painting all those pictures of made-up things. Now if he'd applied himself and come up with a useful book on gas-fitting....I mean that would be useful. But no.....he wasted his life painting pictures and writing silly books and translating Italian classic works and all that rubbish instead.....I ask you. The man was obviously bright......so why not do something useful, like start up a small business or write in here advising us on our gears and suchlike?

Right again georgew
Plus One for fiction!

He painted a mean ceiling. At my localish pub, Oran Mor

georgew wrote:

mercalia wrote:Never heard of him but then not a great fan of fiction. Much over rated. I did a google and what suprised me he was also celebrated in the visual arts. Thats unusual?

When I meet my sister in London we inevitably end up in Waterstones ( at Trafalgar Sq ) and being assaulted by all those books I think all those trees. Few books are worthy of it. I did see one this Xmas that deserved to be printed a lovely choice of paper colour and illustrations

WP_20191222_15_51_34_Pro.jpg

I have to agree with you......and the fact that you and others in this thread have never heard of him clearly means he wasn't much cop.....right?

I can weep if I think how much that guy could have achieved if he hadn't frittered his life away making up stories that weren't true and painting all those pictures of made-up things. Now if he'd applied himself and come up with a useful book on gas-fitting....I mean that would be useful. But no.....he wasted his life painting pictures and writing silly books and translating Italian classic works and all that rubbish instead.....I ask you. The man was obviously bright......so why not do something useful, like start up a small business or write in here advising us on our gears and suchlike?

wow your sarcasm hurts, not. I just dont like fiction; there are other ways of spending your time intellectually and not books on gas pipes or how to make money. Fiction reading seems to be a very middle class thing as they have the leisure ( and the accents to appreciate it) & advocates present it as if it is the only sign of a cultivated mind, as if it is High Culture ( ie snobbery )

mercalia wrote:.........
wow your sarcasm hurts, not. I just dont like fiction; there are other ways of spending your time intellectually and not books on gas pipes or how to make money. Fiction reading seems to be a very middle class thing as they have the leisure ( and the accents to appreciate it) & advocates present it as if it is the only sign of a cultivated mind, as if it is High Culture ( ie snobbery )

If that is what you really believe then this is sad.

The idea that the reading of fiction is an activity confined to the middle classes is bizarre.....particularly to this particular reader who as the son of a coal miner grew up in a home that had few books and yet always hungered for more.

The world would be an impoverished place if we were to be deprived of access to the imaginings of others......to read fiction is to enrich our own imagination and it leads to a greater understanding of what it is to be a human beng.

I suspect that Shakespeare and the other greats of literature are at this very moment slowly wagging their heads from side to side.

georgew wrote:

mercalia wrote:.........
wow your sarcasm hurts, not. I just dont like fiction; there are other ways of spending your time intellectually and not books on gas pipes or how to make money. Fiction reading seems to be a very middle class thing as they have the leisure ( and the accents to appreciate it) & advocates present it as if it is the only sign of a cultivated mind, as if it is High Culture ( ie snobbery )

If that is what you really believe then this is sad.

The idea that the reading of fiction is an activity confined to the middle classes is bizarre.....particularly to this particular reader who as the son of a coal miner grew up in a home that had few books and yet always hungered for more.

The world would be an impoverished place if we were to be deprived of access to the imaginings of others......to read fiction is to enrich our own imagination and it leads to a greater understanding of what it is to be a human beng.

I suspect that Shakespeare and the other greats of literature are at this very moment slowly wagging their heads from side to side.

well Will didnt write to be read but to be seen and heard on a stage by everyone, who understood his language? So I suspect he might be amused he is now Great Literature. He was the contemporary equivalent of the cinema, out to make a hit to earn his keep at the box office?