Scotland's leading cultural festival has wished a speedy recovery to the writer and artist Alasdair Gray, who is recovering in a Glasgow hospital after sustaining serious injuries in a major fall.

The Edinburgh International Festival is staging a new version of Gray's signature work, his lauded novel Lanark, at this year's festival in August.

The adaptation of his 1981 masterpiece is one of the key theatrical productions at this year's festival, directed by Graham Eatough and written for the stage by David Greig, and produced by the Citizen's Theatre of Glasgow.

Gray's portrait features on one of the covers of this year's festival programme in a dramatic black and white shot by photographer Gavin Evans

A spokeswoman for the EIF said: "We were very sorry to hear about Alasdair's accident and are thinking of him.

"Fergus Linehan, artistic director, and everyone at the Edinburgh International Festival wish him all the best for a speedy recovery."

The Citizen's Theatre said in a statement on Twitter: "As we prepare to present his novel Lanark on the stage, our thoughts are with Alasdair Gray today."

Gray, 80, is recovering from falling into the basement area outside his flat in the west end of Glasgow in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Discovered by his neighbour, bank employee and photographer Marc de Ridder, Gray had fallen eight feet to the basement from the pavement and sustained a broken back and injuries to his legs and head.

The writer of Lanark and painter of a number of famous murals and portraits, Gray is now in a serious but stable condition in the Royal Infirmary.

He has been visited by his younger sister Mora and his son Andrew, who lives in the US, is flying to Scotland.

It is understood Gray has been told it will take at least six weeks of care in hospital for his back to heal.

The artist, who was found in a "very bad condition", is speaking, and is already talking about appointments he may miss and plans he has made for the coming week.

It is still unclear how Mr Gray fell, and police are still investigating the incident.

A friend said: "His condition is pretty good news considering his age and his fall."

Gray was discovered by Mr de Ridder at around 2am.

Mr Gray's wife, Morag McAlpine, passed away last year.

Gray is widely considered to be one of Scotland's finest post-war painters and writers.

Gray has created a series of murals, including one on the ceiling of the Oran Mor pub and the Hillhead Underground station in his beloved west end of Glasgow.

He recently was the subject of a major retrospective of art at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum and currently has an exhibition of sixty years of his printmaking at the Hidden Lane Gallery in Glasgow.