Lanark A Life in Four Books
- 18 Feb 2021
- 9781838852900
- £20
- 592 pp
- 162×240mm
- 1 Sep 2016
- 9781782117148
- £12.99
- 592 pp
- 129×198mm
- 25 Feb 2026
- 9781838858070
- £34.99
- 22 hrs 33 min
In a few words
40th anniversary commemorative hardback edition of the modern classic
In a few words
‘The best Scottish novelist since Sir Walter Scott’ ANTHONY BURGESS. The cornerstone epic, introduced by William Boyd
In a few words
Alasdair Gray’s masterpiece, available for the first time unabridged in audio, narrated by Alan Cumming, with archival recordings from Gray himself
Probably the greatest novel of the century . . . It marked the beginning of a new era
One of the landmarks of twentieth-century fiction . . . Lanark changed the landscape of Scottish fiction, opening up the imaginative territory inhabited today by writers such as A.L. Kennedy, James Kelman and Irvine Welsh
I was absolutely knocked out by Lanark. I think it's the best in Scottish literature this century
Iain Banks
Probably the greatest novel of the century . . . it marked the beginning of a new era
James Campbell
ObserverProbably the greatest novel of the century . . . It marked the beginning of a new era
One of the landmarks of twentieth-century fiction
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40th anniversary edition
‘Probably the greatest novel of the century’ Observer
Lanark, a modern vision of hell set in the disintegrating cities of Unthank and Glasgow, tells the interwoven stories of Lanark and Duncan Thaw. A work of extraordinary imagination, its playful narrative conveys a profound message, both personal and political, about humankind’s inability to love, and yet our compulsion to go on trying.
First published in 1981, Lanark established Alasdair Gray as one of Britain’s leading writers and kick-started the modern renaissance of Scottish literature.
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‘Probably the greatest novel of the century’ Observer
‘Remarkable’ William Boyd
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.
First published in 1981, Lanark immediately established Gray as one of Britain’s leading writers.
More about
the book
FOR THE FIRST TIME UNABRIDGED IN AUDIO
READ BY ALAN CUMMING and ANGUS KING
WITH ARCHIVAL RECORDINGS FROM ALASDAIR GRAY HIMSELF
‘Probably the greatest novel of the century’ Observer
Lanark, a modern vision of hell set in the disintegrating cities of Unthank and Glasgow, tells the interwoven stories of Lanark and Duncan Thaw. A work of extraordinary imagination, its playful narrative conveys a profound message, both personal and political, about humankind’s inability to love, and yet our compulsion to go on trying.
First published in 1981, Lanark established Alasdair Gray as one of Britain’s leading writers and kick-started the modern renaissance of Scottish literature.
One of the seminal works of Scottish literature, a book credited with kick-starting Scotland's literary renaissance
At times exuberant, at times despairing, always vivid . . . Urban and wholly contemporary, yet suffused with the past . . . Lanark , in common with all great books, is still, and always will be, an act of resistance. It is part of the system of whispers and sedition and direct communion, one voice to another, we call literature
Janice Galloway
GuardianThis extraordinary masterpiece . . . is profoundly perceptive about the ways in which our society is destroying itself. Yet it manages to be funny and is written in a beautifully lucid prose
I was absolutely knocked out by Lanark. I think it's the best in Scottish literature this century
Iain Banks
It was time Scotland produced a shattering work of fiction in the modern idiom. This is it . . . [Gray is] the best Scottish novelist since Sir Walter Scott
Anthony Burgess
When dawn comes up and retires in dismay, we find ourselves in the presence of an overpowering surreal imagination. A saga of a city where reality is about as reliable as a Salvador Dali watch
Brian Aldiss
A quite extraordinary achievement, the most remarkable thing in Scottish fiction for a very long time. It has changed the landscape
Allan Massie
The ScotsmanUndoubtedly the best work of fiction written by a Scottish author for decades
A necessary genius
Ali Smith
Remarkable . . . Lanark is a work of loving and vivid imagination, yielding copious riches
William Boyd
[Gray will] be remembered best for the masterpiece that is Lanark, but everything he wrote reflected his brilliance
Nicola Sturgeon
A book credited with kick-starting Scotland's literary renaissance
Alasdair Gray
View profileBorn in 1934, Alasdair Gray graduated in design and mural painting from the Glasgow School of Art. Since 1981, when Lanark was published by Canongate, he authored, designed and illustrated seven novels, several books of short stories, a collection of his stage, radio and TV plays and a book of his visual art, A Life in Pictures. In November 2019, he received a Lifetime Achievement award by the Saltire Society. He died in December 2019, aged eighty-five.
Alasdair Gray
View profileBorn in 1934, Alasdair Gray graduated in design and mural painting from the Glasgow School of Art. Since 1981, when Lanark was published by Canongate, he authored, designed and illustrated seven novels, several books of short stories, a collection of his stage, radio and TV plays and a book of his visual art, A Life in Pictures. In November 2019, he received a Lifetime Achievement award by the Saltire Society. He died in December 2019, aged eighty-five.
Alasdair Gray
View profileBorn in 1934, Alasdair Gray graduated in design and mural painting from the Glasgow School of Art. Since 1981, when Lanark was published by Canongate, he authored, designed and illustrated seven novels, several books of short stories, a collection of his stage, radio and TV plays and a book of his visual art, A Life in Pictures. In November 2019, he received a Lifetime Achievement award by the Saltire Society. He died in December 2019, aged eighty-five. Yorgos Lanthimos’ film adaptation of Gray’s novel Poor Things won four Oscars at the 2024 Academy Awards.
Alan Cumming’s many awards for his stage and screen work include the Tony, Olivier, BAFTA and Emmy. He is the author of two children’s books, a book of photographs and stories, a novel and two memoirs, including the #1 New York Times Best-selling Not My Father’s Son.
@alancummingreally | alancumming.com
Angus King is a Scottish actor based in London & Glasgow. He trained at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and works regularly on television, Motion Capture and the West End and his voice can be heard in audiobooks, political campaigns, radio drama, corporate videos, computer games, ADR and much more.
angusking.net
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Canongate is deeply saddened to announce the death of Alasdair Gray, aged 85. He passed away peacefully earlier today at the Queen Elizabeth hospital in his native Glasgow, in the presence of family.
