Boyracers
Encyclopedia
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 young people in contemporary Scotland.
A tenth anniversary edition was produced in 2011. The same year, Bissett announced that he had finished work on a sequel entitled The Pack Men.
around the town in a car called Belinda and engaging in debates about film and music. As the most intellectually gifted of the group, Alvin struggles with the dilemma of choosing to continue his generally enjoyable local life or to leave his friends and the town behind and attend University.
noted that, upon publication of Boyracers, that Bissett “was hailed as the voice of a new generation in urban Scots writing”.
The Herald
said that the novel was “required reading for those who understand and live its message”. For the Scottish Review of Books
, along with some of Bissett’s later works it “dramatised the tragicomic gap between media mirages of the good life and the cold reality we live in”.
and would be produced by Hopscotch Productions. Hopscotch Productions described the film as “a fast and furious coming of age tale set in small town Scotland”, and announced on their website in 2011 that it would be developed in partnership with Scottish Government arts agency Creative Scotland
.
Alan Bissett
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...
. It was first published in 2001 by Edinburgh-based Polygon Books. The plot concerns four male teenagers growing up in the town 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....
, exploring the influences of popular culture
Popular culture
Popular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
, global capitalism and social class
Social class
Social classes are economic or cultural arrangements of groups in society. Class is an essential object of analysis for sociologists, political scientists, economists, anthropologists and social historians. In the social sciences, social class is often discussed in terms of 'social stratification'...
on the lives of young people in contemporary Scotland.
A tenth anniversary edition was produced in 2011. The same year, Bissett announced that he had finished work on a sequel entitled The Pack Men.
Summary
The narrative centres on 16 year-old Falkirk resident Alvin and his adventures with three slightly older friends. Alvin’s formative development is tracked in the context of the group’s activities, including boy-racingBoy racer
Boy racers refer to people, usually males in their late teens or early twenties, who "cruise" around in vehicles modified with loud exhausts and stereos, or modified body kits. This behavior is frowned upon by members of the public irritated by the noise and the criminal behavior associated with...
around the town in a car called Belinda and engaging in debates about film and music. As the most intellectually gifted of the group, Alvin struggles with the dilemma of choosing to continue his generally enjoyable local life or to leave his friends and the town behind and attend University.
Critical reception
The book received a positive reception from critics in Scotland. The Sunday Herald said: "Full of youthful brio, Boyracers has become with the passage of time an unexpectedly bittersweet portrait of the world before 9/11”. The ScotsmanThe Scotsman
The Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
noted that, upon publication of Boyracers, that Bissett “was hailed as the voice of a new generation in urban Scots writing”.
The Herald
The Herald (Glasgow)
The Herald is a broadsheet newspaper published Monday to Saturday in Glasgow, and available throughout Scotland. As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 47,226, giving it a lead over Scotland's other 'quality' national daily, The Scotsman, published in Edinburgh.The 1889 to 1906 editions...
said that the novel was “required reading for those who understand and live its message”. For the Scottish Review of Books
Scottish Review of Books
The Scottish Review of Books is a quarterly literary magazine published in Scotland. . It was established in October 2004 with the support of the Scottish Arts Council. In 2009 it became a limited company with a board of directors, Scottish Review of Books Limited. It is now managed from the...
, along with some of Bissett’s later works it “dramatised the tragicomic gap between media mirages of the good life and the cold reality we live in”.
Film adaptation
In 2009, it was reported by The Scotsman that the novel was in the process of being adapted into a feature film. On his official website in 2011, Bissett stated that the film had received funding from Scottish ScreenScottish Screen
Scottish Screen is the national body for film and television in Scotland, established in April 1997. It took on the functions of the Scottish Film Council, the Scottish Film Production Fund, Scottish Screen Locations and Scottish Broadcast and Film Training, forming a unitary organisation.Scottish...
and would be produced by Hopscotch Productions. Hopscotch Productions described the film as “a fast and furious coming of age tale set in small town Scotland”, and announced on their website in 2011 that it would be developed in partnership with Scottish Government arts agency Creative Scotland
Creative Scotland
Creative Scotland is a development body for arts and cultural industries in Scotland. It inherited the functions of Scottish Screen and the Scottish Arts Council on 1 July 2010, and has an additional remit for the Creative Industries...
.