I can’t wait to see Alasdair Gray’s mural installed in our (common) local subway station, where I’ll surely take lots of photos of his depictions of our neighbourhood. Likewise, I love how he laughs at himself, and his comments on writing:
“Can writing be taught?”
“Of course it is! I couldn’t write before I was taught. That’s why they give it to you in primary schools. No, writing and speaking are all things that have to be learned first. The difference is that some people at certain stage think that they don’t have to learn any more. If you’re very interested in words, then you’d try to keep on learning more. The best way, of course, is by reading other writers — good ones, but even bad ones are better than none to begin with.”
I read his novel Lanark as a teenager and loved it.