The Dear Green Place and Fur Sadie

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Polygon, 2008 - Fiction - 334 pages
Glasgow, 'the dear green place', is the setting for Archie Hind's acclaimed novel. Mat Craig is a young Glaswegian working-class hero and would-be novelist, whose desire to define himself as an artist creates social and family tensions. Set in 1960s Glasgow, 'The Dear Green Place' is an absorbing and moving story, the whole book is invested with strong and sombre descriptions of the city around Mat.

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About the author (2008)

Archie Hind Was Born In 1928. Educated In Glasgow, Where He Has Spent Most Of His Life, His Jobs Have Included Bus Driving, Glass Sculpting And Data Processing. He Studied Writing For A Year At Newbattle College Under Edwin Muir, And Attended Wea Lectures By Jack Rillie Of The English Department At Glasgow University; Both Men Were To Influence Him And His Writing. 'The Dear Green Place' First Published In 1966 Is Hind's Only Novel And Won Both The Guardian Fiction Award And The Yorkshire Post Award For Best Book. Alasdair James Gray was born on Dec. 28, 1934, in Glasgow to Amy (Fleming) and Alexander Gray. His mother worked in a clothing warehouse, his father in construction. Mr. Gray studied design and mural painting at the Glasgow College of Art. When he graduated in 1957, he was commissioned to paint murals around Glasgow, which he continued to create until 2014. He worked on freelance projects and also wrote plays before publishing his first novel. Whether he was creating etchings for his books or a mural to adorn the ceiling of the Glasgow arts and entertainment venue Oran Mor, Mr. Gray created an unusual niche for himself encompassing Scotland's literary and artistic spheres. While his murals can be found at subway stops and restaurants in Glasgow, some of his works are in the collection of the National Galleries of Scotland. In addition to writing fiction, poems and plays for the stage, television and radio Mr. Gray published an autobiography, A Life in Pictures, in 2010. It combined photos, written descriptions and lavish illustrations to reveal that much of Mr. Gray's personal life was embedded in his work. Alasdair James Gray passed away on December 29, 2019 at the age of 85.

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