Katrina Rolley

Alasdair’s niece, occasional assistant and life-long fan.

What does Alasdair Gray mean to you?

Explain yourself?

Being with Alasdair was exciting in a butterflies in the stomach, never quite knowing what was going to happen kind of way. He didn’t operate like other people. So when you were with him there was no way of knowing what would happen next or where you would end up. He made the ordinary feel extraordinary.

Freedom was an intrinsic part of what made Alasdair so exciting for me. He treated everyone as an equal, whoever they were and whatever their age. Which was both unnerving and intoxicating. He was responsible and caring in his own way but even as a young child, I was always treated as an independent person with agency and autonomy. Invited along and included in whatever was going on, in the same way as anyone else who happened to be around.

Conversations with Alasdair felt important. He was always trying to understand the essential truth of an idea or experience. To get to the heart of the matter. Whether it was the meaning of a book or painting. Life, death and religion. Or his own or one of his character’s motivations or emotions. And he knew that truth is subjective. He didn’t want to impose his truth on other people but to find out how they experienced the world. Which is one reason he was so open and accessible, I think. He felt that understanding other people’s perspectives would help him understand life better. And that would make him a better artist.

What have you done differently because of Alasdair?

Everything... I always adored Alasdair and my personality and life have been formed in response to having him as an uncle. So I can’t imagine my life without him.

How does Alasdair continue to influence or inspire you?

In so many ways…! But if I had to choose one, it would be his humanity and respect for all the people and things we share our planet with. He was inherently egalitarian and committed to environmental and social justice throughout his life.

One of his close friends was a disabled person who didn’t use language to communicate. I remember seeing them together after the launch of Lanark. And the way Alasdair engaged with her. And the love and understanding between them, impressed me far more than the success of his best-known novel.

Anything else you’d like to add about Alasdair?

He was far from perfect! He was as flawed as the rest of us and his downsides were in proportion to what made him special. But he was also exceptional. Not just in his creative capabilities but also in his personality and the way he approached life. He was childlike in the best and worst senses of the word. He could be stubborn, selfish and absolutely infuriating. But he was never mean, spiteful or petty. And he never lost his belief that our world and the people in it should and could be better.

A Gray’s place

After Alasdair Gray died his flat was cleared and sold. But you can still visit it. Kat explains why it felt important to preserve Alasdair’s flat and share it with other people. Read more.