Alasdair Gray was my uncle and I made these recordings in the last year of his life – although we didn’t know that when I started them.
I came up with the idea because I wanted to spend more time with Alasdair as he got older. And also because I wanted to share with you the very great pleasure of sitting quietly at home with my uncle listening to him read and talk about books.
So I really hope you’ll join me for some intimate and informal conversations as Alasdair reads, recites and talks about some of his favourite novels and poems. And if you like these podcasts or have any questions about them - please do leave a comment and let me know. I’d love to hear from you.
I started recording Alasdair in January 2019 and he died in December the same year. So we weren’t able to spend as much time together as I’d hoped. But I’m still so grateful I was able to capture something of my uncle's unique spirit and charm before it was too late.
You can find out more about the story behind these podcasts at agrayspace.net - a creative space inspired by Alasdair.
For copyright reasons most of Alasdair's rereads were written before or early in the twentieth century. So while all featured books are favourites - not all favourite books are featured.
I couldn’t have created these podcasts without the help of my family and friends…
Alasdair Gray & Mora Rolley - uncle & mother
David Thomas - technical advice and support
Berniya Hamie – closing piano
Matthew Robinson – rereads logos
You can follow @alasdairgrayrereads on Instagram for news, pictures and previews of upcoming episodes.
I hope you enjoy them!
Kat Rolley