
Grassic Gibbon's debut novel pulled from shelves because of nudity
The Aberdeenshire-born author is now regarded as a literary titan and his 1932 masterpiece Sunset Song has repeatedly been voted as the greatest Scottish novel of all time.
However, correspondence recently placed in the Scottish National Library in Edinburgh, shows that Stained Radiance — his now almost completely forgotten first full-length novel — was blacklisted by affronted booksellers.
The 1930 work focused on the lives of three sexually liberated women of the Jazz Age and their relationships with a thinly-disguised version of the author, whose real name was James Leslie Mitchell.
While the subject matter was risqué, a front cover that featured images of a naked man and woman sealed its fate. Gibbon expressed bemusement and exasperation over the matter in letters written shortly after the book was published.
In a missive to a friend he wrote: 'The funniest thing of all about Stained Radiance — and this you'll scarcely believe — is that the picture on the jacket has shocked various people.
'My branch of Mudies' [a bookseller] has four copies, but the jacket has been religiously removed from each!
'Why on earth a rather well-executed picture of two nude, normal and rather good-looking human beings should shock the reading public is a problem that might stagger even Dr Freud.'
In another letter Gibbon disclosed that the bohemian artwork had offended close friends and family members and resulted in his novel being banned by one of the country's largest high street chains. He wrote of his astonishment at 'the amount of stupefied indignation that Stained Radiance seems to have raised'.
He added: 'My mother is shocked, my sister-in-law is coldly polite, the Daily Sketch has a hysteric fit over my 'brutality', while Boots bans the books from their shelves as 'indecent'.
'Most papers refuse to review it at all, while the booksellers are scared to display it with its shocking cover.
'I stand amazed but half inclined to write another novel in the same train, with its theme the selected lives of a number of people who were shocked by Stained Radiance.'
The first novel sold only a handful of copies but was republished decades after his death. After developing peritonitis, Gibbon died aged just 33 in 1935.
However, his correspondence reveals that he was in the process of planning to write an experimental, warts-and-all autobiography entitled Memoirs of a Materialist.
A synopsis, written the year before his untimely death, shows he planned to weave essays on topics such as 'class war', 'the Scots as a people' and a 'consideration of how and where civilisation first arose' alongside candid accounts of his life.
Before becoming an author, and embracing Marxism, Gibbon served with the Royal Army Service Corps in India, Iran and Egypt and the RAF. A number of the proposed chapters are contentious reflections on his years of military service. One is entitled 'The author in Egypt: A morning after a night genteelly engaged in touring the pyramids and the brothels.' Another is provisionally called: 'Essay on the most cowardly, helpless and brainless of beings: the English soldier.'
Despite growing up in socially conservative rural communities in the north east, Gibbon was liberal and ahead of his time on sexual matters.
This is highlighted by his plan to pen a chapter entitled: 'A consideration of the relations between men and women, men and men and men and semi-men.'
Gibbon also wanted to use the work to pay tribute to his mentor, HG Wells.
In 1927 when the Scot was an impoverished clerk, he sent a sample of his writing to his hero; the man who created classic works such The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds and The Invisible Man.
He expected to hear nothing further and to return to his humdrum day job but instead Wells, then a major international celebrity, sent a swift response, stating: 'Very good story. Stick to it! You can do this sort of thing and will certainly come through.'
The authors went on to become firm friends, bonding over their socialist convictions and libertine attitudes towards sex.
Tilting against the staid mores of his age Wells advocated 'free love' and lived a lifestyle which would today be described as polyamorous.
Gibbon is best remembered for Sunset Song and for its main protagonist Chris Guthrie, a sexually liberated feminist living in the fictional Mearns village of Kinraddie.
Nicola Sturgeon, the former first minister, wrote an effusive introduction in a republished edition in 2020: 'In no small way, I owe my love of literature to Sunset Song.'
It spawned a big screen adaptation starring Peter Mullan and Agyness Deyn in 2015, while Gibbon's memory is maintained in a museum in his native Aberdeenshire.
The book, part of a trilogy known collectively as A Scots Quair, topped a BBC poll to find Scotland's most popular novel in 2016.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Telegraph
16 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Jewish comedian barred from Fringe venue for attending Oct 7 vigil
A Jewish comedian has been cancelled by an Edinburgh Fringe venue after attending a vigil for victims of the October 7 attacks. Philip Simon was barred from the Banshee Labyrinth pub because of alleged 'rhetoric and symbology' linked to Israel. One reason cited by the venue for cancelling his show, Shall I Compere Thee in a Funny Way?, was his attendance at a vigil held for people killed in the 2023 Hamas terror attacks. In a message to Simon, Banshee Labyrith said: 'Our management had a duty of care to our customers and staff members to review the political statements and opinions expressed by the performer. 'We feel it is inappropriate for us to provide a platform for performers whose views and actions align with the rhetoric and symbology of groups associated with humanitarian violations.' Simon said the only opinion he had expressed on the Gaza conflict was a desire for peace and to see the hostages freed. He said: 'I am still processing the concept that in 2025 I can be cancelled just for being Jewish. In the meantime, I will still be at the Fringe for my one remaining children's show and continue to investigate possible alternative venues for both of my cancelled shows.' Banshee Labyrinth told The Telegraph that it arrived at its decision after scouring Simon's social media pages. It said: 'We routinely screen bands and performers for affiliations to, and statements that advocate for, discriminatory groups. 'We have hosted Philip in previous years and only thought we should have a look at his pages to see what was going on because of what happened with [a related row at] the neighbouring venue. 'If we hadn't found anything of concern he would obviously still be performing with us.' The alleged concerns identified by Banshee Labyrinth include Simon sharing pictures from a vigil commemorating 100 days since the attack on Israel; a message on his X account saying that it was powerful to 'stand strong against terror'; and a post warning that Oct 7 rape victims were being forgotten. Several others messages the venue objected to were variations on calls to 'bring home the hostages', while others made fun of Greta Thunberg's short-lived effort to travel by flotilla to Gaza. Banshee Labyrinth said its decision to cancel the show came after a row involving a nearby venue, Whistlebinkies, which has cancelled shows by Mr Simon and fellow comedian Rachel Creeger. Ms Creeger was set to perform her show Ultimate Jewish Mother, while Mr Simon was due to host a Jew-O-Rama of Jewish comedic talents. The acts claimed they were informed that their gigs would be cancelled after bar staff at the venue expressed fears of feeling 'unsafe'. It has been claimed that concerns were raised after an announcement that the venue would receive extra police supervision amid continued worries over the safety of Jewish acts. 'We are being silently boycotted' Ms Creeger said: 'Sadly, this is part of an ongoing problem faced by Jewish performers in this country. We are being cancelled and often silently boycotted.' The pair said they were informed on July 18 that their shows would not be going ahead. It is understood there had been plans to swap venues so they could still perform but it was too late to make these arrangements. Their shows no longer appear on the Edinburgh Fringe listings website. The Fringe, and comedy more broadly, has become embroiled in several controversies relating to the Israel-Hamas conflict. At the Fringe in 2024, two Israeli audience members were booed out of Reginald D Hunter's comedy gig after they objected to a joke comparing the Jewish state to an abusive spouse. Mr Hunter then had several gigs cancelled and later appeared in court over alleged anti-Semitic social media posts. There will be a hearing in November to decide whether the private prosecution brought against him will go ahead. Earlier in 2024, the comedian Paul Currie was banned from a West End theatre after the venue said he had been 'subjecting Jewish audience members to verbal abuse'. Soho Theatre consulted police following an incident in which he allegedly pulled out a Palestinian flag and shouted at an Israeli audience member to 'get the f--- out of here' before leading chants of 'Palestine will be free'. The theatre investigated and then banned Mr Currie for what it termed 'appalling' intimidation.


Edinburgh Reporter
3 hours ago
- Edinburgh Reporter
Discussion on dementia stories to follow UK premiere of Lost Lear at Traverse on Sunday evening
A special discussion around telling stories of dementia will follow the first UK performance of Lost Lear at The Traverse on Sunday 27 July. The new show by award-winning Irish theatre maker Dan Colley is a moving look at living with dementia, told through the familiar lens of Shakespeare's characters Following the preview performance on the 27 July, Dan will be joined by Alex Howard and Gus Harrower from Capital Theatres dementia-friendly programme and Magdalena Schamberger, who specialises in creating theatre for those with dementia Lost Lear will run on the main stage at the Traverse from 2 to 24 August Following its first-ever UK performance at Traverse Festival on 27 July, the hit Irish theatre show Lost Lear will host a special public discussion around telling the complex stories of dementia in theatre. The discussion will feature Lost Lear's award-winning creator Dan Colley, who will be joined by Alex Howard and Gus Harrower from Capital Theatres Edinburgh's dementia-friendly programme and Scotland-based theatre-maker and consultant Magdalene Schamberger, who has over 20 years experience working with people living with dementia. The discussion will look at the initial creation of Lost Lear and its collaborations between Dementia Carers Campaign Network and the Alzheimer's Society of Ireland. The play itself, a loose adaptation of Shakespeare's King Lear, examines how we know ourselves and who we are to each other, amidst the complexities of dementia. The discussion will also be a chance for audiences to talk about how the show has resonated with their own experiences of living with and caring for those with dementia, with an invite being sent out to people from local dementia communities. 'Dan collaborated with the Dementia Carers Campaign Network (DCCN), an advocacy group supported by The Alzheimer Society of Ireland, in the early days of writing this play.' says Judy Williams, Advocacy, Engagement and Participation Officer for The Alzheimer Society of Ireland. 'Through focus groups, carers shared their experiences, shaping Dan's approach to the play. For the DCCN, the project was compelling, inclusive, and in some ways, healing. It also provided new opportunities for carers to share their stories, while raising awareness about the challenges they face. We were very grateful for the opportunity to have this engagement with Dan and Matt, and we wish them all the best at the Edinburgh Fringe 2025. We hope as many people as possible have the opportunity to see this sophisticated and thought-provoking play.' 'Lost Lear is a captivating journey, from an energetic and rambunctious beginning to the poignant and gentle end, it portrays the bewilderment of someone who wants to care, trying to have the shared experience with the person living with dementia, struggling and sometimes failing.' says Susan Crampton of the Dementia Carers Campaign Network. 'I am delighted to hear that Lost Lear is going to Edinburgh and many more people will have the opportunity to see it for the first time – or again.' Lost Lear is a moving and darkly comic remix of Shakespeare's play told from the point of view of Joy, a person with dementia, who is living in an old memory of rehearsing King Lear. Joy's delicately maintained reality is upended by the arrival of her estranged son who, being cast as Cordelia, must find a way to speak his piece from within the limited role he's given. Using puppetry, projection and live video effects, the audience are landed in Joy's world as layers of her past and present, fiction and reality, overlap and distort. Lost Lear is a thought provoking meditation on theatre, artifice and the possibility of communicating across the chasms between us. Following rave reviews for its Irish premiere, where it picked up nominations for Best New Play, Audience Choice, Best AV Design and Best Supporting Actor at the Irish Times Theatre Awards, Lost Lear will have its UK premiere at the Traverse Festival in Edinburgh this August. Following its Fringe run, Lost Lear will tour to North America in Autumn 2025. Co-produced by Mermaid Arts Centre and Riverbank Arts Centre. Funded by the Arts Council of Ireland and supported by Fishamble's New Play Clinic. Part of the 2025 Culture Ireland Edinburgh Showcase. Traverse 1 Preview 27 July 7.30pm and 2 August 9.30pm Then 3 – 24 August (not Mondays) Times vary. Run time: 1 hr 15 min Tickets: £5 – £25 Like this: Like Related


Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Inside the Lions party after sealing series win: Drinking beers and singing in the middle of the MCG pitch - and recreating Hugo Keenan's last-minute winning try
Modern, elite professional rugby so often presents a stern and serious face to the outside world, so it is good when there are outbreaks of old-school fun. It was visible – and audible – in abundance in the aftermath of Saturday's game. Many of the Lions players wore elaborate garlands around their neck made up of chocolate bars festooned with ribbons, which had been presented to them by the family of Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu, who grew up in Melbourne and, briefly, in Tonga.