![]() This is followed by Books One and Two, which describe Lanark’s past life. Lanark, for instance, has a skin condition called “dragonhide” that is a physical manifestation of his inability to love. Seeking escape from the (aptly named) city’s decay, Lanark finds himself ensnared in the bureaucratic hell of the Institute, a hospital that cures various allegorical afflictions. The novel begins with Book Three, in which Lanark navigates the dystopian urban landscape of Unthank, or Gray’s native Glasgow richly reimagined as a lightless purgatory. But little did I know that the 560-page whopper of a novel, elaborately illustrated by the author himself, would so transcend the boundaries of genre, fiction, typography - and my ability to describe it. ![]() ![]() Having encountered an excerpt from it in an English Literature practice exam during senior year of high school, I borrowed Alasdair Gray’s Lanark: A Life in Four Books from Sterling before summer break in the expectation of a meditative summer read on loss of love and the relationship between art and reality. I decided to review this book before I realized how unqualified I am to do so. ![]()
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