Alasdair Gray rereads

Alasdair Gray rereads an excerpt from Chapter 11 of his second novel 1982, Janine. This is Alasdair’s own choice of excerpt from what he felt was his best novel. And he continues reading until Jock’s breakdown and the multiple sections of typeface defeat even his ability to read aloud.

I made these recordings in what turned out to be the last year of my uncle's life - so I could spend more time with him and share with you the very great pleasure of sitting quietly at home with Alasdair listening to him read and talk about books.

You can find out more about the story behind Alasdair Gray rereads in A Gray Space a creative space inspired by Alasdair Gray.

I couldn't have made these podcasts without the help of my family and friends:

Featured book: 1982, Janine by Alasdair Gray. You can follow @alasdairgrayrereads on Instagram for news, pictures and previews of upcoming episodes. And if you have any questions or thoughts to share I’d love to hear them – so please do leave a comment.

In 1993 Alasdair sent his sister Mora (my mother) a cassette tape in reply to one of her letters. On it he reads some of her favourites poems - along with his own personal selection - from his collection Old Negatives (published the same year).

I started recording Alasdair in what turned out to be the last year of my uncle's life - so I could spend more time with him and share with you the very great pleasure of sitting quietly at home with Alasdair listening to him read and talk about books. Mum mentioned the existence of this earlier recording after Alasdair's death and kindly allowed me to share it.

You can find out more about the story behind Alasdair Gray rereads in A Gray Space a creative space inspired by Alasdair Gray.

I couldn't have made these podcasts without the help of my family and friends:

Featured book: Old Negatives: 4 Verse Sequences by Alasdair Gray. You can follow @alasdairgrayrereads on Instagram for news, pictures and previews of upcoming episodes. And if you have any questions or thoughts to share I’d love to hear them – so please do leave a comment.

In 1993 Alasdair sent his sister Mora (my mother) a cassette tape in reply to one of her letters. On it he reads the whole of this bitter-sweet short story Time Travel – which was published the same year with some revisions in Ten Tales Tall And True and later in Every Short Story.

I started recording Alasdair in what turned out to be the last year of my uncle's life - so I could spend more time with him and share with you the very great pleasure of sitting quietly at home with Alasdair listening to him read and talk about books. Mum mentioned the existence of this earlier recording after Alasdair's death and kindly allowed me to share it.

You can find out more about the story behind Alasdair Gray rereads in A Gray Space a creative space inspired by Alasdair Gray.

I couldn't have made these podcasts without the help of my family and friends:

Featured book: Ten Tales Tall And True by Alasdair Gray. You can follow @alasdairgrayrereads on Instagram for news, pictures and previews of upcoming episodes. And if you have any questions or thoughts to share I’d love to hear them – so please do leave a comment.

In 1993 Alasdair sent his sister Mora (my mum) a cassette tape in reply to one of her letters. He ends it with this excerpt from Lanark and an explanation of why he only included the miserable aspects of his childhood in the novel.

I started recording Alasdair in what turned out to be the last year of my uncle's life - so I could spend more time with him and share with you the very great pleasure of sitting quietly at home with Alasdair listening to him read and talk about books. Mum mentioned the existence of this earlier recording after Alasdair's death and kindly allowed me to share it.

You can find out more about the story behind Alasdair Gray rereads in A Gray Space a creative space inspired by Alasdair Gray.

I couldn't have made these podcasts without the help of my family and friends:

Featured book: Lanark by Alasdair Gray. You can follow @alasdairgrayrereads on Instagram for news, pictures and previews of upcoming episodes. And if you have any questions or thoughts to share I’d love to hear them – so please do leave a comment.

In 1993 Alasdair sent his sister Mora (my mother) a cassette tape in reply to one of her letters. On it he reads bits of his work he thinks she'll enjoy - including this excerpt from the Climax of Lanark that’s clearly based on memories of spending time with his own son, Andrew.

I started recording Alasdair in what turned out to be the last year of my uncle's life - so I could spend more time with him and share with you the very great pleasure of sitting quietly at home with Alasdair listening to him read and talk about books. Mum mentioned the existence of this earlier recording after Alasdair's death and kindly allowed me to share it.

You can find out more about the story behind Alasdair Gray rereads in A Gray Space a creative space inspired by Alasdair Gray.

I couldn't have made these podcasts without the help of my family and friends:

Featured book: Lanark by Alasdair Gray. You can follow @alasdairgrayrereads on Instagram for news, pictures and previews of upcoming episodes. And if you have any questions or thoughts to share I’d love to hear them – so please do leave a comment.

In 1993 Alasdair sent his sister Mora (my mother) a cassette tape in reply to one of her letters. On it he reads bits of his work he thinks she'll enjoy including this poem from 'In a Cold Room 1952 - 57' - the first of four verse sequences in Old Negatives.

I started recording Alasdair in what turned out to be the last year of my uncle's life - so I could spend more time with him and share with you the very great pleasure of sitting quietly at home with Alasdair listening to him read and talk about books. Mum mentioned the existence of this earlier recording after Alasdair's death and kindly allowed me to share it. 

You can find out more about the story behind Alasdair Gray rereads in A Gray Space a creative space inspired by Alasdair Gray.

I couldn't have made these podcasts without the help of my family and friends:

Featured book: Old Negatives: 4 verse sequences by Alasdair Gray. You can follow @alasdairgrayrereads on Instagram for news, pictures and previews of upcoming episodes. And if you have any questions or thoughts to share I’d love to hear them – so please do leave a comment.

Alasdair rereads his own choice of short story, the slyly sinister The Trendelenburg Position. It was originally published in 1993 and although Alasdair never owned a television - and only engaged with digital technology via his assistants - the story is surprisingly prescient and still seems relevant today.

I made these recordings in what turned out to be the last year of my uncle's life - so I could spend more time with him and share with you the very great pleasure of sitting quietly at home with Alasdair listening to him read and talk about books.

You can find out more about the story behind Alasdair Gray rereads in A Gray Space a creative space inspired by Alasdair Gray.

I couldn't have made these podcasts without the help of my family and friends:

Featured book: Every Short Story 1951 - 2012 by Alasdair Gray. You can follow @alasdairgrayrereads on Instagram for news, pictures and previews of upcoming episodes. And if you have any questions or thoughts to share I’d love to hear them – so please do leave a comment.

Alasdair continues rereading Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island. Sadly there wasn’t time for him to finish the whole book! But I found it so gripping I had to borrow his copy and read to the end.

I made these recordings in what turned out to be the last year of my uncle's life - so I could spend more time with him and share with you the very great pleasure of sitting quietly at home with Alasdair listening to him read and talk about books.

You can find out more about the story behind Alasdair Gray rereads in A Gray Space a creative space inspired by Alasdair Gray.

I couldn't have made these podcasts without the help of my family and friends:

Featured book: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. You can follow @alasdairgrayrereads on Instagram for news, pictures and previews of upcoming episodes. And if you have any questions or thoughts to share I’d love to hear them – so please do leave a comment.

Alasdair rereads the opening chapter of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic adventure story, Treasure Island. Alasdair particularly admired the way Stevenson opened his novels and credited him with providing the model for the opening paragraph of his own novel, Poor Things.

I made these recordings in what turned out to be the last year of my uncle's life - so I could spend more time with him and share with you the very great pleasure of sitting quietly at home with Alasdair listening to him read and talk about books.

You can find out more about the story behind Alasdair Gray rereads in A Gray Space a creative space inspired by Alasdair Gray.

I couldn't have made these podcasts without the help of my family and friends: 

Featured book: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. You can follow @alasdairgrayrereads on Instagram for news, pictures and previews of upcoming episodes. And if you have any questions or thoughts to share I’d love to hear them – so please do leave a comment.

Alasdair and his sister Mora (my mother) recite and reread Edward Lear’s limericks and nonsense rhymes – which leads them on to childhood quarrels, other favourite books and poems and the huge influence of author-illustrators on Alasdair’s own art.

I made these recordings in what turned out to be the last year of my uncle's life - so I could spend more time with him and share with you the very great pleasure of sitting quietly at home with Alasdair listening to him read and talk about books.

You can find out more about the story behind Alasdair Gray rereads in A Gray Space a creative space inspired by Alasdair Gray.

I couldn't have made these podcasts without the help of my family and friends: 

Featured book: Nonsense Omnibus by Edward Lear. You can follow @alasdairgrayrereads on Instagram for news, pictures and previews of upcoming episodes. And if you have any questions or thoughts to share I’d love to hear them – so please do leave a comment.