#freetopiary: An Occupy Romance

by Peter Burnett

Consumerism, passivity, apathy and distraction.

The internet is no place to attempt changing anything that matters.

A young Scottish Borderer, Alan Stewart, struggles to come of age in a world he knows only through the world wide web. 

#freetopiary: An Occupy Romance from Thirsty Books. 

The 'Real Topiary' is in Juvenile Detention for 38 Days

The Studio Game

by Peter Burnett

"The story is seen through the eyes of Guy and Liska, two young artists struggling to become famous in contemporary Aberdeen.

"Their lifestyle is what might be described in the more conservative elements of the daily press as "chaotic", and there is something about the style of the book and the actions of the leading characters that reminded me of Jack Kerouac's "On The Road" (though with less travel) and Hunter S. Thompson's "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" (though with fewer drugs).

"Suffice it to say that Guy and Liska seem to go out of their way to alienate the art establishment in pursuit of their own shared vision of artistic utopia."

Read the full article at Undiscovered Scotland

The Studio Game is available from Fledgling Press

'Set around the mean streets, pubs and galleries of Aberdeen, two young artists Liska and Guy, struggle for recognition and mega bucks. Blending self-deprecation, witty asides and academic debate on the role of the artist, we follow their plight trying to understand who can judge commercial status and market value.    

Guy soon begins to realise that “ artists don’t define art or the concepts that justify it. Art lovers bring the art world into being and the artists are always innocent.”     

Burnett has created a lovable, slightly eccentric anti-hero surrounded by a weird and wonderful plethora of characters.  This bittersweet, dreamlike tale may be fiction but the astutely-researched narrative is set within today’s real art auction market of Warhol, Emin, Hirst and Creed.

The Studio Game is a cleverly constructed, rollercoaster ride, rich in humour, taking us on an intellectual and emotional journey which also challenges our own notion of  “what is art” along the way.'

Vivien Devlin

Fledgling Press        The Studio Game

to survive a destructive book is no less painful
for the reader than for the author
 
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