There was a touching moment at the end of Alasdair Gray's session when a young woman who had just finished school told him she had studied Lanark and Poor Things for advanced higher English. "They definitely helped the class and sparked debate on Scottish independence," she said. When asked how he felt about his books helping young people form their views on the subject, Gray was typically funny: "I didn't expect Lanark to do so well. About a year after it came out I started getting letters, somebody saying: 'We're going to be examined on your book Lanark. What's it all about?'"
He also quoted George Bernard Shaw, who refused to allow any of his plays to be set books because "children will end up hating me as much as they hate Shakespeare!".
Gray's advice was: "I don't think anybody should read anything except for fun because you won't learn anything unless you enjoy it. I hope you're enjoying it!"
Many people have, of course. When Anthony Burgess reviewed Lanark, he said Gray was the most important Scottish novelist since Walter Scott.
Gray, who turns 80 this year, was at the festival to talk about and read from his book Of Me and Others, a collection of essays and articles, published and unpublished, which he has said is as close to autobiography as he's ever going to get. He said he had been accused of hating the English – "I don't hate anybody" – but he repeated his criticism of "English administrators" being in charge of Scottish arts. "The idea of Scottish writers and painters in charge of their own institutions – impossible! It would be as bad as having teachers in charge of the schools!"
