Alasdair Gray

Camille Manfredi (Universitéde Bretagne Occidentale)
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Alasdair Gray was born on 28 December 1934 in Riddrie, a north-eastern suburb of Glasgow. Traces of a childhood marked by the outbreak of World War II are visible in his literary work, such as his humble family background, his forced evacuation to Perthshire when he was only six, and his early experience of the war and the damage which it caused. Gray attended Glasgow School of Art between 1952 and 1957. He then briefly embarked on a career as a part-time teacher of art in Lanarkshire and Glasgow, while painting impressive and often committed murals in several Glasgow locations. At the same time, Gray wrote verse as well as radio and TV plays, some of which were later published in book form. A documentary about Gray’s work in painting and verse broadcast in 1964 by the BBC allowed him…

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Citation: Manfredi, Camille. "Alasdair Gray". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 15 July 2008; last revised 17 January 2022. [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=1846, accessed 28 March 2024.]

1846 Alasdair Gray 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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