Ten Tales Tall And True [Hardcover]

Alasdair Gray (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 8, 1994

Gray serves up a dazzling mixture of social realism, sexual comedy,science fiction, and satire here. A New York Times Notabale Book of the Year, this is a "highly imaginative" (Newark Star-Ledger) collection of stories from "one of the sprightliest and wittiest of living prose writers" (San Francisco Chronicle). Illustrated by the Author.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The truthful tales are better than the tall ones in this rambunctious collection by the Scottish author of the well-received Poor Things. The title itself is a whopper: there are 12 stories, a prologue and an epilogue. The humorous entries range from silly to archly playful. "The Marriage Feast" parodies Kingsley Amis's account of a run-in with Dylan Thomas, casting Christ in the mad poet's role. In "The Trendelenburg Position," a dentist muses on the possibilities of virtual reality to a prone (and silent) patient. "Near the Driver" takes a mocking look at Britain's railroad future, in which computer-controlled trains announce precisely when they will crash. These pieces are amusing enough, but when Gray lays aside his trademark wit to deal with characters in his native Scotland ("Houses & Small Labour Parties" and "You") or to tenderly portray an elderly botanist ("Time Travel"), his deft prose and thoughtful insights render the cleverness of the other tales a bit shallow in comparison. Gray's witty touch is also evident in the quirky black-and-white drawings interspersed with the text.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Venturing into a bizarre, malproportioned world, Gray's stories beggar categorization. They're a fake of the real, in keeping with the title's paradox; beyond that, they share only phantasms that leave an absurd satisfaction in reading. Ever been hostage to a dentist's palaver? "The Trendelenburg Position" relives, not relieves, the agony in 10 pages. Ever enjoy a drink in solitude in a tavern, while feeling close to God? "Are You a Lesbian?" alludes to what the outside world may think of the sight. In such strange but creative directions, Gray bends his imagination in these 14 tales (not 10--he fooled us again), from sf situations (a runaway train of the future) to a satirically scientific one in which a man uses "Baconian Induction" to solve the mystery of who put chewing gum between his toes. The lovelorn need not be forlorn in Gray's hands, either, for he serves a few romantic imbroglios in an appropriately existential sauce. Plainly written, partially fathomable, and distinctively quirky, these are stories for cutting-edge tastes. Gilbert Taylor

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (March 8, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0151000905
• ISBN-13: 978-0151000906
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,820,272 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Intelligent stories -- very Gray, November 24, 2000

By 

Tim Callan - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ten Tales Tall And True (Paperback)

This volume (which contains more than ten short stories, by the way) feels like a younger cousin to his earlier Unlikely Stories Mostly. Gray create intelligent stories that are sometimes odd, sometimes enigmatic, often subtle, and occasionally quite over the top. If you're familiar with Gray, this book continues in the spirit of his other work.

If you're not familiar with Gray, you should know that Gray writes, illustrates, and lays out his own books. He treats the book as a single physical artifact by paying attention to issues like pagination, layout, and integration of covers and title pages into the artistic whole of the book. If you like that kind of thing, he's worth looking at. If you like contemporary authors like William Gass or John Gardner, give him a try. For most readers Gray needs some easing into, and I would recommend you start with this book or Unlikely Stories Mostly.