“Telt in his ain Embra Scots, Colin’s chairacters’ lifes spairkle
wi the language o thaim thit belang tae the toon.”
*Michael Dempster, Scots Scriever*
"The reader is already familiar with Aldo. Adlo is the ballast that
makes most stories work; he appears as a wee skinny Asian kid with
a kick-ass attitude. He’s a familiar figure in any working-class
community. The hardman that takes nae shite. But he’s also funny,
but not deliberately so. And he has a heart."
*ABC Tales*
"Burnett's protagonists are full of life in all their frightening
brutality, dark humour and ultimate humanity and it is the sheer
believability of them and their exploits that places this fresh new
voice in Scottish working-class literature at the top of the
ever-blossoming tree."
*into creative*
"Burnett will no doubt be hoping that loveable psycho Aldo might
become the new Begbie, a character burned into the Scottish psyche.
With Burnett’s hardman character also striking first and asking
questions later."
*Edinburgh Evening News*
"This honest, often gritty account
of working-class life is full of dark humour
and tales of perseverance through hard times. Fans of
Irvine Welsh and James Kelman will enjoy this new and
exciting young author."
*Alasdair Peoples, Visit Scotland*
"A glimpse into working-class life in Leith in all its shades and
kaleidoscopes. This is Burnett’s first book and he has talent, a
rare voice and way with characters which is compelling and at times
spellbinding. One to watch for in future."
*Gerry Hassan, Author and Commentator*
"The comic spirit, infused with a Frankie Boyle-like spiky humour,
makes them a hoot to read. They also display the fierce class
loyalty that distinguishes James Kelman and this gives them an
extra punch."
*Sean Sheehan, Scottish Left Review*
"Sharp, witty and thought provoking with undeniable shadows of
Welsh and Kelman - Colin Burnett’s debut makes for an incredibly
tantalising read."
*Eilidh Reid, Scots Independent Newspaper*
"Finishing A Working Class State of Mind left me looking
forward to reading more by Burnett, a strong new voice in Scots and
Scottish literature who demands working class voices be heard and
read on their own terms. Mair power to his elbow."
*Erin Farley, Bella Caledonia*
"Colin Burnett is an exciting new voice in Scottish fiction - his
debut collection of short stories, A Working Class State of
Mind, starring Aldo, along with his friends Dougie and Craig, is
garnering a lot of attention, and rightly so."
*Books From Scotland, Part of Our Favourite Things Issue*
"Colin Burnett is not only demanding his voice is heard, but that
none should be silenced or denied. There is a call for cultural
legitimacy which lifts A Working Class State of Mind to
another level."
*Alastair Braidwood, Snack Magazine*
"There are obvious influences of Welsh, Kelman and perhaps Warner
too in this compelling debut collection, and like these mentors,
Burnett brings what feels like lived experience to his
writing. His protagonists are full of life in all their
frightening brutality, dark humour and ultimate humanity and it is
the sheer believability of them and their exploits that places this
fresh new voice in Scottish working-class literature at the top of
the ever-blossoming tree."
*Loretta Mulholland, Into The Creative*
"Most novels that came out in the era of globalisation made an
effort to blur the protagonists’ identity to give them a more
universal appeal and market feasibility. Burnett is boldly and
importantly swimming against this tide and making the identities
come out more vividly via the language. That is the
counter-hegemonic struggle that directly challenges the dominant
discourse and structure, which aims to homogenise socio-cultural
uniqueness and variety."
*Dr Aashish Xaxa, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Doing
Sociology*
"Burnett’s short stories in Scots have found favour with an
increasingly curious audience looking to connect with their
roots."
*Paul Kelbie, Discover Scotand*
"Colin Burnett is a writer from Edinburgh - and one of the most
exciting voices around."
*Dr Richard Irvine, Anthropologies of Scotland, The University of
St Andrews*
"The stories about anti hero Aldo goading a junior fitba
goalkeeper, and caring for a dug are modern classics of the Scots
Gothic genre, where you laugh but feel slightly guilty about
laughing because of the subject matter. Scottish literature has
always prided itself on its democratic pedigree - giving voice to
sections of society which go unrecorded in many other countries.
Colin Burnett is a new and bright young star in contemporary Scots
letters, and I look forward to more excellent writing from him in
the future."
*Billy Kay, Writer and Broadcaster*
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