McGrotty and Ludmilla: or The Harbinger Report

by Alasdair Gray

Mungo McGrotty's career in Whitehall is going nowhere. But when he finds the mysterious (and deadly) Harbinger Report, he realises he can blackmail his way to the very top.

This twisted Grayian retelling of the Aladdin story under the Thatcher regime sees our hero rise from pawn to power. But at what cost?

Genres: Fiction, Scotland, Novels

133 pages, Paperback

First published April 5, 1990

About the author

Alasdair James Gray was a Scottish writer and artist. His first novel, Lanark (1981), is seen as a landmark of Scottish fiction. He published novels, short stories, plays, poetry and translations, and wrote on politics and the history of English and Scots literature. His works of fiction combine realism, fantasy, and science fiction with the use of his own typography and illustrations, and won several awards.

He studied at Glasgow School of Art from 1952 to 1957. As well as his book illustrations, he painted portraits and murals. His artwork has been widely exhibited and is in several important collections. Before Lanark, he had plays performed on radio and TV.

His writing style is postmodern and has been compared with those of Franz Kafka, George Orwell, Jorge Luis Borges and Italo Calvino. It often contains extensive footnotes explaining the works that influenced it. His books inspired many younger Scottish writers, including Irvine Welsh, Alan Warner, A.L. Kennedy, Janice Galloway, Chris Kelso and Iain Banks. He was writer-in-residence at the University of Glasgow from 1977 to 1979, and professor of Creative Writing at Glasgow and Strathclyde Universities from 2001 to 2003.

Gray was a civic nationalist and a republican, and wrote supporting socialism and Scottish independence. He popularised the epigram "Work as if you live in the early days of a better nation" (taken from a poem by Canadian poet Dennis Leigh) which was engraved in the Canongate Wall of the Scottish Parliament Building in Edinburgh when it opened in 2004. He lived almost all his life in Glasgow, married twice, and had one son. On his death The Guardian referred to him as "the father figure of the renaissance in Scottish literature and art".

Reviews

[Cody · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know what I liked this better than? That other one. Yeah, that one. Fuck that one. This one here’s good people.

[Dougie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A retelling of Aladdin set in the civil service of the early 1980s as a vehicle for some biting satire. Told with the usual wit and wisdom of Alasdair Gray the only complaint is that it’s all too short to really get to the really fun stuff or the really deep stuff of his better known books. Still well worth a read though, I enjoyed it a lot.

[Inkassohenri · Rating 4 out of 5]

class

[Chris Leathley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very short, very funny and, sadly, still very relevant. The Acknowledgments are as precise and astute as any political commentary that you are likely to read. Gray is incapable of being anything less than outrageous and entertaining.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rapidly becoming one of my favourite authors. Quite scary how relevant this still is given it was published in 1990.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Janine is definitely a more interesting book, and a 'better' book, but I enjoyed this a tiny bit more. It's genuinely funny and the prose is just ENCHANTING

[Jace Bryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun and quick read. Alasdair Gray prose are class as always.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

A remarkable novel. Absolutely splendid!

[Leon Story · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gray seems to like to rework his plays and radio plays into prose fiction, as is the case here. Surely not as successful an example of that approach as Something Leather, but great fun. Recommended.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable trip - made most meaningful when you read the Acknowledgements at the end.

[Kokoška Pastuší · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like me a good political satire, I cannae lie. Especially if the author is Alasdair Gray...

[Scott Cumming · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's Aladdin retold in the halls of power in Westminister as McGrotty, a civil servant who has been promoted relentlessly because others found him unlikeable and Arthur Shots, the man who takes him on as a protege based on McGrotty's father saving his life once upon a time, battle over possession of the Harbinger Report and the power that it might bring them.

There is a timelessness to this satire that I think comes more from how little things have changed over time. The names, architecture and titles may have changed, but the structure and the Tory Party remain the same.

This is a short, amusing tale which time has not diminished. Perhaps not essential, but a worthwhile read all the same.

[Zachary Ngow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this while on Holiday in London, and walked to the Big Ben just because I liked this book cover. It's a quite funny tale that exposes the cynicism of British politics. Not sure anything has changed. An analogue to McGrotty is New Zealand might be John Key, though he's a little more cartoonish than McGrotty and also more perverted.

[Lewis Trussler-McCaskill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alasdair Gray’s McGrotty and Ludmilla is a sharp, satirical novella that reimagines the Aladdin tale within the corridors of Thatcher-era Whitehall. Mungo McGrotty, a middling civil servant, stumbles upon the enigmatic Harbinger Report—a document with the power to catapult him up the political ladder. Assisted by the astute Ludmilla, McGrotty navigates the treacherous waters of ambition and bureaucracy. Gray’s prose is characteristically witty and incisive, offering a concise yet potent critique of political machinations and moral compromise. While the novella’s brevity leaves some character arcs less explored, its inventive narrative and satirical edge make it a compelling read.

[Jamie]

Loved this book. A great start to my summer break from uni. The use of the Aladdin plot to tell a story set in the thatcher government was amazing. Loved all the characters and how they were used to create an undercurrent of corruption and self interest

[Ioan Prydderch · Rating 4 out of 5]

The old lad was just a different class without being some Amis or McEwan like figure. (Not that there's anything wrong with those two) I wonder wether him being a thorough Glaswegian and the sense of permanence it gave him is something to consider.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Satirical, witty. Great self-contained novella. Dynamic writing distinguished characters interesting themes

[Finlay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book so much, it flies off the handles in such a wonderful way and mcgrotty is such an unlovable yet deeply understandable character. Also so funny I cannot lie😝

[MJ Nicholls · Rating 4 out of 5]

A swift and entertaining novelisation of Gray’s 1975 radio/stage satire. The relationship between Ludmilla and McGrotty is unconvincing but the bilious swipe at the Tory government is spot-on.

Dated, perhaps, but still an entertaining (and quick) read for the Gray devotee.

[R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A novelization of a radio play...

http://www.alasdairgray.co.uk/plays/m...