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Cover of Lanark: A Life in Four Books

Lanark: A Life in Four Books

Alasdair Gray (1981)

SubgenreHigh Fantasy
Age groupAdult 18+
Content ratingR
Pages (Doorstopper (600+))
Setting
CSM age18+

Content levels

ViolenceModerate
Sexual contentModerate
LanguageModerate

Protagonist archetypes

Tortured ProtagonistMultiple POVs

Synopsis

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, playful imagination, it conveys a profound message, both personal and political, about humankind's inability to love, and yet our compulsion is to go on trying. First published in 1981, Lanark immediately established Gray as one of Britain's leading writers, compared with - among others - Dante, Blake, Joyce, Orwell, Kafka, Huxley and Lewis Carroll. This new edition includes an introduction by William Boyd as well as the author's fascinating addendum, the 'Tailpiece' (2001).

Tags

Literary FantasyExperimental FictionDystopianPsychological FictionPostmodern