The Ends Of Our Tethers: Thirteen Sorry Stories

Although not an 'aficionado', I have a number of Gray's eclectic prose and poetry on my shelf and it is true the stories presented in this collection are far removed from their predecessors. This is not to say that the short stories in 'The Ends of Our Tethers' are inferior to those found in 'Unlikely Stories, Mostly' or 'Ten Tales Tall & True' they are just different, in a similar way that 'Our Man in Havana' is different to 'Brighton Rock'.

In my opinion it is wrong to 'grade' writers according to their contemporaries, just as it would be wrong not to go to an Auerbach exhibition because all his paintings were similar and not as diverse as those of Lucian Freud.

'The Ends of Our Tethers' is full of Gray's usual meat and potatoes - political and cultural commentary all spooned over with a tasty, reduced, gravy of humorous libidinous proclivities. True, it lacks the fleshed out narrative tales that are scattered in his previous writing and some stories are almost footnotes, jottings even marginalia, but they are worthy of scrutiny nonetheless, and not just by 'aficionados'.


Disappointing. Very disappointing.   February 5, 2004
 10 out of 16 found this review helpful

If you've more than a passing aquaintance with the work of Alasdair Gray, you'll know this has been a book some time in the wait. All the usual Gray concerns are there, even to the point where the tale descends to the point of becoming mere journalism, as with the story concerning the anti-war demonstrations. Granted, one could say the same about The Big 4 - Lanark, 1982 Janine, Unlikely Stories, Mostly and Poor Things. Alhough, one could point out back that while The Ends of Their Tethers contains the flaws also present in these books - too much autobiography, flawed prose, ceaseless lectures about socialism and society conducted through artists and bespectacled, asthma-suffering loners - it has none of their strengths. Where is the intelligence, the typographical pyrotechnics, the female points of view, the qualified, hard-won optimism and even the profound insights of the earlier work?

I won't repeat the 'position of short story collections today' dirge, but I find it insulting that, among the scant short story collections Canongate, an independent publisher, puts out, this should be one of them.

There are other worries. Read as a whole, one feels concern about the sharp erosion of Gray's talent since his last publication. James Kelman has improved and diversified, Owens has deepened her range, Galloway has become more readable. Not Gray. The tale concerning his position as Professor of Creative Writing at Glasgow University is a good example of what I'm talking about. As for the opener...the fact that it appeared in New Writing doesn't do wonders for those who believe in meritocracy.

So, buy it if you have to, but you have beeen warned - even Gray aficionados will mourn this volume's appearance.