Lanark: A Life in Three Acts, adapted from the novel by Alasdair Gray

by David Greig

The first thing I remember is... falling.

A young man arrives in a dying city with seashells in his pockets. He doesn't know who he is, or how he got here. He goes by the only name he can think of: Lanark.
Lanark is a portrait of the outsider artist as a young man, an exploded life story like no other. This theatrical re-imagining of Alasdair Gray's classic novel takes us from the Dragon Chambers to the Cathedral of Unthank, from the post-war Glasgow School of Art to the sinister underground Institute, from the heavenly city of Provan to the hellish Elite Caf�, combining science-fiction, realism, fantasy, and playful storytelling.

'Insanely ambitious... a heady, unsettling, unpredictable dream... this is a darkly playful and intriguingly dislocated evening in which chronological time, theatre's fourth wall, character conventions and all expectations get smashed.' Guardian

Lanark: A Life in Three Acts was conceived in collaboration by David Greig and Graham Eatough and adapted for the stage in collaboration with the creative team. It was presented as a co-production between the Citizens Theatre and the Edinburgh International Festival at the Edinburgh International Festival 2015.

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

David Greig is a Scottish dramatist. He was born in Edinburgh in 1969 and brought up in Nigeria. He studied drama at Bristol University and is now a well-known writer and director of plays. He has been commissioned by the Royal Court, the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company and was Artistic Director of the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh from 2015 until 2025, when he left to return to writing.

His first play was produced in Glasgow in 1992 and he has written many plays since, produced worldwide. In 1990 he co-founded Suspect Culture Theatre Group with Graham Eatough in Glasgow.

His translations include Camus' Caligula (2003), Candide 2000, and When the Bulbul Stopped Singing, based on a book by Raja Shehadeh. Danmy 306 + Me (4 ever) (1999) is a play written for children.

David Greig's plays include The American Pilot (2005), about America's involvement in the Middle East and Eastern Europe; Pyrenees (2005) about a man who is found in the foothills of the Pyrenees, having lost his memory; and San Diego (2003), a journey through the American dream. His latest works are Gobbo, a modern- day fairytale; Herges Adverntures of Tintin, an adaptation; Yellow Moon (2006); and Damascus (2007)

Reviews

[Leo Robertson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bold attempt. Reveals something interesting about the book, that the realist sections are made more emotionally potent, while the surrealist bits lose a lot in being deprived of pure imagination.

Maybe you’d have to ask someone who loved the novel. I loved the opening “book” of it (Book Three of Four?) but that was all.

[Giancarlo · Rating 4 out of 5]

We found this in a book shop in Edinburgh. I only recently finished the novel but I couldn’t help myself from starting it on the train back.

For some time I’ve looked back with deep regret on the fact that I missed the production at the Citizens in 2015. I feel glad to have read this, but the regret has only grown deeper! This is a fantastic adaptation, which perfectly captures the mood and pace of its source material.

I was particularly impressed by how they adapted the meta-textual elements of the novel for the stage and maintained Alasdair Gray’s black humour and sense of wonder.

If I ever fancy a refresh on the story, reading this is a much lower commitment way to fire back into Unthank. I sincerely hope that another production comes around … eventually.

[Bunny Hot · Rating 3 out of 5]

just doesn’t have what the novel has
still enjoyed