THE National Library of Scotland has bought the final tranche of archive material by renowned Scottish author Alasdair Gray.
The library’s collection of material is the largest and most comprehensive collection of Gray’s literary and personal materials.
After his death four years ago, the library continued working with the Estate of Alasdair Gray via his son, Andrew, to ensure public access to Gray’s vast working material and correspondence.
New additions to the archive include drafts and working manuscripts of Gray’s writing including illustrated notebooks and film storyboards.
Gray’s son Andrew said: “Alasdair through a combination of financial necessity and frequent reorganisation of his studio has, over the years, contributed a large quantity of correspondence, diaries and manuscripts to the library.
“He would be happy that his collection has remained in Scotland and that in line with his socialist principles, his papers will be accessible to the public for the purposes of research, education and amusement.”
The vast archive also includes the manuscript and early screenplay drafts by Gray for Poor Things – the newly released film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and starring Emma Stone (below).
It already scooped some awards at the Golden Globes and is widely tipped to receive a number of Oscar nominations.
Manuscripts curator at the National Library Dr Colin McIlroy said: “Alasdair Gray is unique in that he has a loyal following in academia and people who enjoy reading more generally. His literary and artistic work is intrinsically informed by and deeply embedded in Glasgow, where – aside from a spell in Wetherby during the Second World War – he lived and worked his whole life.
“During his lifetime we had the privilege of his acquaintance, and it was clear that he lived and breathed art, as much as he lived and breathed his home city.
"We are deeply honoured to continue to care for his artistic and personal effects. Providing public access to his archive will ensure Gray lives on in our collective psyche – both in Scotland and internationally – for many decades to come.”
Some of the archive is available for consultation at the library’s reading rooms in Edinburgh.
However, with more than seven decades’ worth of material, the library is currently fundraising to hire a cataloguer to speed up the process of making all of Gray’s material available in the reading rooms.
Cataloguing will also enable the library to engage people with the archive material through such things as exhibitions and online content.
