Learn about Glasgow, one page at a time, with these ten essential reads
The city’s past and present is writ large in these works, writes Maddy Searle
Lanark, by Alasdair Gray Written over a quarter of a century, Lanark is the story of two men with a mysterious connection.
The novel is partly set in pre-war Glasgow, and partly in the surrealist city of Unthank – a Glasgowlike place where there is no daylight. The novel also features illustrations by Gray, right, and has been compared to the works of George Orwell, Franz Kafka and Aldous Huxley. No Mean City, by Alexander Mcarthur and H Kingsley Long Lauded as a definitive account of Glasgow life, this 1935 novel tells the story of Johnnie Stark, the ‘Razor King’ of the Gorbals.
Johnnie’s father is violent, his mother is downtrodden, and he has to make his own way in the world. No Mean City was written by journalist H Kingsley Long, and an unemployed worker, Alexander Mcarthur.
The title was taken from a Biblical quotation, in which Paul the Apostle says that he is a citizen of Tarsus, which is “no mean city”.
The novel’s raw depictions of gangland life and working class struggles have made it a classic of Glasgow fiction. Finding Peggy, by Meg Henderson This autobiography provides a vivid description of 1950s Glasgow, where Meg Henderson grew up as part of a large family.
When their old tenement collapsed, the family had to move to Blackhill, a district notorious for its sectarianism and gang warfare. However, Meg’s mother and Aunt Peggy were wonderful, positive influences, keeping the young girl safe from her father’s abusive behaviour. The Dear Green Place, by Archie Hind The central character of The Dear Green Place is Mat Craig, a young, workingclass Glaswegian with dreams of being an artist.
Set in the 1960s, the 2008 novel gives the reader a strong sense of the city at this time, with its beautiful descriptions bringing Glasgow to life.
Although Mat wants desperately to be a writer, his Calvinist upbringing holds him back, as well as his own insecurities and self-doubt. Divided City, by Theresa Breslin A young adult novel by Theresa Breslin, below, Divided City, tackles sectarianism and follows two boys, Graham and Joe, who get mixed up in the conflict between Catholics and Protestants when Graham witnesses an act of violence.
In a city pulled apart by religion, culture and history, the pair must find their own way and their own answers. We Need To Talk About… by Kevin Bridges The comedy prodigy, who started stand-up at the age of 17, was shy and nervous at school, but found that he could make his classmates laugh. His autobiography is full of one-liners and sharp social commentary and gives readers an insight into Bridges’ Glasgow childhood and his journey to fame and fortune. How Late It Was, How Late, by James Kelman This Booker Prize-winning novel is the tale of Sammy, a Glaswegian who is down on his luck. His wallet and shoes have been stolen, his girlfriend has disappeared, and he has been beaten up by the police.
Sammy is questioned regarding a crime but the police won’t tell him what it is, his doctor won’t admit he has gone blind, and he can’t get disability compensation due to never-ending bureaucracy.
This bleak and darkly comic 1994 novel is both gripping and ultimately uplifting, and gives the reader a gripping picture of modern life in the city. Glasgow: A History, by Michael Meighan In Michael Meighan’s history of Glasgow, he charts the city from its beginnings as a religious centre, and its heyday as the second city of the Empire, to its rebirth as a modern metropolis.
Meighan looks at the past and the present in order to create a picture of Glasgow as a modern Scottish city, taking in the growth of the Church, industrialisation, and contemporary architecture along the way. The Cutting Room, by Louise Welsh The protagonist of Louise Welsh’s stylish novel is Rilke, an eccentric auctioneer who comes across a collection of violent erotic photographs.
Rilke feels compelled to find out more about the deceased owner of the photographs, sending him down a dark path of discovery. His journey will take him from the refined suburbs of Glasgow to dingy bookies and porn shops in the city’s dark underbelly. Garnethill, by Denise Mina This thriller by Denise Mina, above, centres on Maureen O’donnell, a psychiatric patient who has survived sexual abuse.
Maureen embarks upon a relationship with her therapist, Douglas, and decides to end it before discovering him dead in her living room.
Everyone suspects Maureen of killing Douglas, even her own mother, and she begins to doubt her own memory. She needs to follow Douglas’s trail and find his killer before she herself is killed.