Alan Bissett
Encyclopedia
Alan Bissett is an author and playwright from Hallglen
, an area of Falkirk
in Scotland
. After the publication of his first two novels, Boyracers
and The Incredible Adam Spark, he became known for his different take on Scots dialect writing, evolving a style specific to Falkirk, suffused with popular culture references and Socialist politics. Bissett used to lecture in creative writing
at Bretton Hall College, now part of the University of Leeds
, and tutored the creative writing MLitt at the University of Glasgow
alongside Janice Galloway
and Tom Leonard
. He became a full-time writer in December 2007.
and then the University of Stirling
, where he gained a First Class Honours degree in English literature and education. After a short spell as a secondary school teacher at Elgin Academy
, Bissett was awarded a Masters degree in English from the University of Stirling
, during which time he edited a collection of Scottish Gothic stories, Damage Land (2001), and wrote his first novel, Boyracers
. His stories were either short- or longlisted for the national Macallan Short-Story Competition four times between 1999 and 2002. His third novel, Death of a Ladies' Man was published by Hachette Scotland in July 2009. In 2009 Bissett moved into playwriting: his first play, The Ching Room, was performed at Oran Mor and Traverse Theatre
in March 2009, starring Andy Clarke
and Colin McCredie
. It was followed by Times When I Bite, or The Moira Monologues a 'one-woman show' which Bissett has performed himself (at Glasgow literary festival Aye Write!
in March 2009, at the Kikinda Short Story Festival in Serbia in June 2009, and at Traverse Theatre
in November 2009. In an interview with the Sunday Times, Bissett described the inspiration for the character of Moira Bell.
Bissett is also a regular performer at and co-organiser of Glasgow spoken word night Discombobulate http://www.discombobulate.me.
Alan Bissett was a member of the brief, so-called 'Glasgow G7' group of writers (Alan Bissett, Nick Brookes, Rodge Glass
, Laura Marney
, Alison Miller, Zoë Strachan
and Louise Welsh
).
for the song "The Rebel On His Own Tonight", writing the lyrics and performing a spoken word section, for the Ballads of the Book
project, bringing together Scottish writers with Scottish musicians, spearheaded by Roddy Woomble
and Edwin Morgan.
Inspired by this experience, Bissett approached bands Zoey Van Goey
and Y'all is Fantasy Island
suggesting they perform together. In May 2007, all three performed together in a short tour of Central Scotland
. The tour, called Super Puny Humans played in Edinburgh
on 2 May, Glasgow
on the third, Stirling
on the fourth and finally Falkirk
on the fifth. Since then, Bissett has regularly performed his writing at concerts in support slots for various bands, including the first-ever comeback gig of The Vaselines
, and the "Music Like A Vitamin" night at ABC Glasgow
, run by Rod Jones from Idlewild
in support of Mental Health Week. He also performed spoken word sets at the Connect Music Festival
in 2007 and 2008, and at Crossing Border Festival
in 2007.
, IDFA and Silverdocs
, was shortlisted for the Scottish Short Documentary Award and won both the Jury and Audience Awards for Scottish Short Film at the Jim Poole Scottish Short Film Awardshttp://news.accidentalmedia.com/post/237103154/shutdown-wins-jim-poole-awards. The Shutdown was directed by Adam Stafford
, and later picked up for distribution by Accidental Media.
Hallglen
Glen Village is a village in the Falkirk council area of Scotland. It is a settlement at the southern end of Callendar Park, south of Falkirk....
, an area of Falkirk
Falkirk
Falkirk is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies in the Forth Valley, almost midway between the two most populous cities of Scotland; north-west of Edinburgh and north-east of Glasgow....
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. After the publication of his first two novels, Boyracers
Boyracers
Boyracers is the debut novel of Scottish writer Alan Bissett. It was first published in 2001 by Edinburgh-based Polygon Books. The plot concerns four male teenagers growing up in the town of Falkirk, exploring the influences of popular culture, global capitalism and social class on the lives of...
and The Incredible Adam Spark, he became known for his different take on Scots dialect writing, evolving a style specific to Falkirk, suffused with popular culture references and Socialist politics. Bissett used to lecture in creative writing
Creative writing
Creative writing is considered to be any writing, fiction, poetry, or non-fiction, that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, and technical forms of literature. Works which fall into this category include novels, epics, short stories, and poems...
at Bretton Hall College, now part of the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
, and tutored the creative writing MLitt at the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
alongside Janice Galloway
Janice Galloway
Janice Galloway is a writer of novels, short stories, prose-poetry, non-fiction and libretti-Biography:She is the second daughter of James Galloway and Janet Clark McBride. Her parents separated when she was four and her father died when she was six. Her sister Nora, sixteen years older, died in...
and Tom Leonard
Tom Leonard
Tom Leonard or Thomas Leonard may refer to:*Tom Leonard *Tom Leonard , Fianna Fáil politician from Dublin, Ireland*Tom Leonard , Scottish poet*Thomas J...
. He became a full-time writer in December 2007.
Background
Bissett was born in 1975. He attended Falkirk High SchoolFalkirk High School
Founded in 1886, Falkirk High School had a strong tradition of academic, musical and sporting excellence.Until the era of comprehensive education it was one of the leading senior secondary schools in Scotland and every year pupils won major scholarships to Oxbridge and the ancient Scottish...
and then the University of Stirling
University of Stirling
The University of Stirling is a campus university founded by Royal charter in 1967, on the Airthrey Estate in Stirling, Scotland.-History and campus development:...
, where he gained a First Class Honours degree in English literature and education. After a short spell as a secondary school teacher at Elgin Academy
Elgin Academy
Elgin Academy may refer to:* Elgin Academy in Elgin, Illinois, USA* Elgin Academy, Scotland in Elgin, Scotland...
, Bissett was awarded a Masters degree in English from the University of Stirling
University of Stirling
The University of Stirling is a campus university founded by Royal charter in 1967, on the Airthrey Estate in Stirling, Scotland.-History and campus development:...
, during which time he edited a collection of Scottish Gothic stories, Damage Land (2001), and wrote his first novel, Boyracers
Boyracers
Boyracers is the debut novel of Scottish writer Alan Bissett. It was first published in 2001 by Edinburgh-based Polygon Books. The plot concerns four male teenagers growing up in the town of Falkirk, exploring the influences of popular culture, global capitalism and social class on the lives of...
. His stories were either short- or longlisted for the national Macallan Short-Story Competition four times between 1999 and 2002. His third novel, Death of a Ladies' Man was published by Hachette Scotland in July 2009. In 2009 Bissett moved into playwriting: his first play, The Ching Room, was performed at Oran Mor and Traverse Theatre
Traverse Theatre
The Traverse Theatre is a theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was founded in 1963.The Traverse Theatre commissions and develops new plays or adaptations from contemporary playwrights. It also presents a large number of productions from visiting companies from across the UK. These include new plays,...
in March 2009, starring Andy Clarke
Andy Clarke
Andrew Weston Clarke is an English former footballer who played for Barnet, Wimbledon and Peterborough United as a striker.-Playing career:...
and Colin McCredie
Colin McCredie
Colin McCredie is a Scottish actor, best known for his role as DC Stuart Fraser in the STV drama, Taggart....
. It was followed by Times When I Bite, or The Moira Monologues a 'one-woman show' which Bissett has performed himself (at Glasgow literary festival Aye Write!
Aye Write!
Aye Write is a book festival which takes place in Glasgow in late February or early March. As of 2007 it is an annual fixture.-History:The first Aye Write festival was in 2005...
in March 2009, at the Kikinda Short Story Festival in Serbia in June 2009, and at Traverse Theatre
Traverse Theatre
The Traverse Theatre is a theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was founded in 1963.The Traverse Theatre commissions and develops new plays or adaptations from contemporary playwrights. It also presents a large number of productions from visiting companies from across the UK. These include new plays,...
in November 2009. In an interview with the Sunday Times, Bissett described the inspiration for the character of Moira Bell.
“The voice comes from the women in my family, my three aunties and my sister, who are great storytellers and hard as f***,” he says. “If they were to go on stage and talk about their lives in their own voices, it would be acclaimed as a virtuoso performance."
Bissett is also a regular performer at and co-organiser of Glasgow spoken word night Discombobulate http://www.discombobulate.me.
Alan Bissett was a member of the brief, so-called 'Glasgow G7' group of writers (Alan Bissett, Nick Brookes, Rodge Glass
Rodge Glass
Rodge Glass is a writer. Born and bred in Gatley, Greater Manchester, England, Glass moved to Scotland aged 19 to study at Strathclyde University. He went on to study at Glasgow University before returning to work for the program at Strathclyde in which he himself studied...
, Laura Marney
Laura Marney
-Biography:The author of four novels and numerous short stories, Laura Marney is a member of the Glasgow G7 group of writers ....
, Alison Miller, Zoë Strachan
Zoe Strachan
Zoë Strachan is a Scottish novelist, journalist and university tutor.-Biography:Strachan grew up in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire. She studied Archeology and Philosophy at the University of Glasgow, followed by a MPhil in Creative Writing at the universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde. She later became a...
and Louise Welsh
Louise Welsh
Louise Welsh is an author of short stories and novels, based in Glasgow, Scotland.Welsh studied History at Glasgow University and traded in second-hand books for several years before publishing her first novel....
).
Novels
- BoyracersBoyracersBoyracers is the debut novel of Scottish writer Alan Bissett. It was first published in 2001 by Edinburgh-based Polygon Books. The plot concerns four male teenagers growing up in the town of Falkirk, exploring the influences of popular culture, global capitalism and social class on the lives of...
(2001) - The Incredible Adam Spark (2005)
- Death of a Ladies' Man (July 2009)
- Pack Men (September 2011)
Anthologies
- Damage Land: New Scottish Gothic Fiction (2001) (editor)
- In the Event of Fire: New Writing Scotland 27 (July 2009) (co-editor with Liz Niven)
- Stone Going Home Again: New Writing Scotland 28 (July 2010) (co-editor with Carl MacDougall)
- The Year of Open Doors (July 2010) (contributor)
- The Flight of the Turtle: New Writing Scotland 29 (July 2011) (co-editor with Carl MacDougall)
Music
Bissett also collaborated with musician Malcolm MiddletonMalcolm Middleton
Malcolm Bruce Middleton is a Scottish musician best known for his work with Aidan Moffat in post-folk indie band Arab Strap as well as his solo career writing and producing...
for the song "The Rebel On His Own Tonight", writing the lyrics and performing a spoken word section, for the Ballads of the Book
Ballads of the Book
Ballads of the Book is a studio album, released on 5 March 2007, on Chemikal Underground. The project was curated by Roddy Woomble, and features collaborations between Scottish musicians and Scottish writers. The album is considered a "joint effort" by all those involved...
project, bringing together Scottish writers with Scottish musicians, spearheaded by Roddy Woomble
Roddy Woomble
Roderick "Roddy" Woomble is the lead singer of Scottish rock band, Idlewild and a solo contemporary folk musician. To date, Woomble has released six full-length studio albums with Idlewild, and two solo albums, My Secret is My Silence and The Impossible Song & Other Songs...
and Edwin Morgan.
Inspired by this experience, Bissett approached bands Zoey Van Goey
Zoey Van Goey
Zoey Van Goey are an indie pop band from Glasgow, Scotland, made up of Matt Brennan, Michael John McCarthy, Kim Moore and Adam Scott. Brennan, McCarthy and Moore, hailing from Canada, Ireland and England respectively, formed the initial trio in Glasgow in 2006, with Scott becoming a full-fledged...
and Y'all is Fantasy Island
Y'all Is Fantasy Island
Y'all Is Fantasy Island are a Scottish alternative folk band from Falkirk, formed in 2001.-Overview:Originally formed in 2001 by singer/songwriter Adam Stafford...
suggesting they perform together. In May 2007, all three performed together in a short tour of Central Scotland
Central Belt
The Central Belt of Scotland is a common term used to describe the area of highest population density within Scotland. Despite the name, it is not geographically central but is nevertheless situated at the 'waist' of Scotland on a conventional map and the term 'central' is used in many local...
. The tour, called Super Puny Humans played in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
on 2 May, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
on the third, Stirling
Stirling
Stirling is a city and former ancient burgh in Scotland, and is at the heart of the wider Stirling council area. The city is clustered around a large fortress and medieval old-town beside the River Forth...
on the fourth and finally Falkirk
Falkirk
Falkirk is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies in the Forth Valley, almost midway between the two most populous cities of Scotland; north-west of Edinburgh and north-east of Glasgow....
on the fifth. Since then, Bissett has regularly performed his writing at concerts in support slots for various bands, including the first-ever comeback gig of The Vaselines
The Vaselines
The Vaselines are an alternative rock band from Glasgow, Scotland. Formed in 1986, the band was originally a duo between its songwriters Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee, but later added James Seenan and Eugene's brother Charlie Kelly on bass and drums respectively from the band Secession. McKee had...
, and the "Music Like A Vitamin" night at ABC Glasgow
ABC Glasgow
The O2 ABC is a nightclub and music venue on Sauchiehall Street, in the centre of Glasgow, Scotland's largest city. The building was constructed in 1875 but was largely rebuilt in the 1920s. It had been put to a number of uses before being converted for its current purpose between 2002 and 2005. In...
, run by Rod Jones from Idlewild
Idlewild (band)
Idlewild are a Scottish rock band, formed in Edinburgh, in 1995, comprising Roddy Woomble , Rod Jones , Colin Newton , Allan Stewart and Gareth Russell...
in support of Mental Health Week. He also performed spoken word sets at the Connect Music Festival
Connect Music Festival
The Connect Music Festival was a music festival that took place in the grounds of Inveraray Castle, located on the banks of Loch Fyne in Argyll, Scotland. It was aimed at more mature music fans and recent headliners included the Beastie Boys, Björk and Franz Ferdinand. The inaugural festival was...
in 2007 and 2008, and at Crossing Border Festival
Crossing Border Festival
Crossing Border Festival is an annual festival in The Hague, Netherlands focusing on new pop music acts and literature. The first edition took place in 1993. The festival was once held in Amsterdam, but afterwards shifted back to The Hague.-1993:...
in 2007.
Film
In 2009, The Shutdownhttp://www.accidental.tv/shutdown.php, a short documentary Bissett wrote (and narrated) about the experience of growing up in the shadow of the Grangemouth Oil Refinery, with particular mention of his father's injury in the refinery flare line incident of 13 March 1987 http://www.icheme.org/FiresAndExplosionAtBPOilGrangemouthRefineryLtd.pdf premiered in competition at Edinburgh International Film FestivalEdinburgh International Film Festival
The Edinburgh International Film Festival is an annual fortnight of cinema screenings and related events taking place each June. Established in 1947, it is the world's oldest continually running film festival...
, IDFA and Silverdocs
Silverdocs
AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Documentary Festival is an American international film festival created by the American Film Institute and Discovery Channel. It is held every year in Silver Spring, Maryland near Washington, D.C.. Started in 2003, the festival is held for eight days in June at...
, was shortlisted for the Scottish Short Documentary Award and won both the Jury and Audience Awards for Scottish Short Film at the Jim Poole Scottish Short Film Awardshttp://news.accidentalmedia.com/post/237103154/shutdown-wins-jim-poole-awards. The Shutdown was directed by Adam Stafford
Adam Stafford
Adam Stafford is a musician & film maker from Falkirk, Scotland.Adam Stafford is probably best known for being the lead singer and song writer with critically acclaimed Scottish band Y'all is Fantasy Island. Having formed the band in 2001 as a solo project Stafford added various members to augment...
, and later picked up for distribution by Accidental Media.
External links
- Official site (British Council)
- Creative Writing at Glasgow University
- Alan's blog at The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
- Super Puny Humans site
- Short story: This Snow Won't Lie for Long at Scottish Arts Council website, Dec 2007
- Short story: So Many Crows, Mad Hatters Review, Issue 7, February 2007