In this frank, playful and typically unorthodox collection of essays, Alasdair Gray tells how his early life experiences influenced his writing, including the creation of those landmarks of literature, Lanark and 1982, Janine. He details the inspirations behind his many acclaimed artworks and murals, and makes clear how his moral, social and political beliefs and his work are inextricably linked.

Incisive, funny and fired with passion, Of Me and Others is as much about people, place and politics as it is about Gray's own life in art.

"Gray is a true original, a twentieth-century William Blake" - * Observer *

"An essential portrait of an artist emerging in the second half of the 20th century . . . Gray is an exceptionally generous writer" - * Herald *

"Disarmingly personal . . . Like Gray himself, the book is by turns ebullient, eccentric, generous and shy" - * Scotsman *

"Gray has a rare ability to convey his thought in writing that is clear, invigorating and, in the very best way, fun. This book is all of those things, and much more besides . . . A thrilling and powerful statement about the value of Scottish art" - * The List *

"Gray may be regarded as the doyen of Scottish letters, and this publication is a fitting acknowledgement of his status" - * Scotsman *