Lanark, a modern vision of hell, is set in the disintegrating cities of Unthank and Glasgow, and tells the interwoven stories of Lanark and Duncan Thaw. A work of extraordinary imagination and wide range, its playful narrative techniques convey a profound message, both personal and political, about humankind’s inability to love, and yet our compulsion to go on trying.
Widely recognised as a modern classic, Alasdair Gray’s magnum opus was first published in 1981 and immediately established him as one of Britain’s leading writers. Comparisons have been made to Dante, Blake, Joyce, Orwell, Kafka, Huxley and Lewis Carroll. This timely new edition should cement his reputation as one of our greatest living writers.
 | Alasdair GrayAlasdair Gray is a Glasgow writer and artist, most famous for his novel Lanark (1981): ‘if a city hasn’t been used by an artist, not even the inhabitants live there imaginatively’ remarks one of the characters, but Gray imagined and drew the city into its being in the late 20th century. His poetry has a similarly questioning, subversive tone but is also honest and painfully aware of loss. |
