Kirsty Wark

Award-winning television journalist and novelist who sees Alasdair as the embodiment of Glasgow.

What does Alasdair Gray mean to you?

Explain yourself?

What Alasdair Gray did was he imprinted himself on Glasgow, in every way. So for me, he embodies Glasgow.

It's this idea that there's this great artistic sensibility in Glasgow. In everything, from the tile work, to the graphics, to Òran Mór, to the underground, to Lanark. Maybe Renaissance is one word. Magical. Compassionate - for himself and for his characters and for the people he met. So that's really, I think, my 3 words.

How did you get to know Alasdair or his work?

Originally it would be Lanark but also going to The Chip. And I gather that part of the renovation is going to be the restoration of some of his work there, which is phenomenal.

I did Scottish literature at university. We didn't actually study Alasdair, but we all knew about Alasdair. I think it's just the Glasgow thing and being around The Tron… Not that he was necessarily around The Tron but just the idea that we had somebody so great in our midst, who would wander up and down Byers Rd. I mean, that was so exciting.