Irvine Welsh

Preview of 2012 - Irvine Welsh's Skagboys

Renton, Sick Boy et al are revisited in this Trainspotting prequel

6 Jan 2012

Wonder how Renton, Sick Boy, Spud and co got to be the drugged-up life-rejecting Leith loons in Trainspotting? Well, wonder no more, as the publication of Skagboys brings us a bit more background on the individual and social circumstances revolving…

First Shot: Just Say Aye - an extract from Irvine Welsh's Skagboys

A sneak peek inside the Edinburgh author's Trainspotting prequel

26 Apr 2012

We head oot and dive oantae a 16, bound fir Johnny’s pad at Tolcross. It’s a blindin hot day so we sit doonstairs at the back for a better view ay the passin fanny. Back top deck wi Begbie, tae intimidate wideos, back bottom wi Sick Boy tae leer at…

Interview: Irvine Welsh on Trainspotting prequel Skagboys

The new book, Leith, Twitter and the importance of subcultures

25 Apr 2012

Early on in our transatlantic phone conversation, it suddenly becomes unclear whether I’m chatting to Irvine Welsh or Frank Begbie. When I ask whether he might well be the busiest man in Scottish culture right now, the response comes over loud, clear…

Irvine Welsh’s Ecstasy

An agonisingly watered-down imitation of Welsh's short story

19 Apr 2012

Nothing dates faster than drug culture, and writer-director Rob Heydon’s Irvine Welsh adaptation arrives nearly two decades after the era of the dedicated pill-popper. Taken from Welsh’s story 'The Undefeated', part of the 1996 compilation that provides…

Preview 2009 - Books

8 Jan 2009

It’s another hot year for the Scottish contingent with Denise Mina, Irvine Welsh and Ewan Morrison all bringing out books (July) although arguably the country’s most intriguing 2009 publication comes from Dundee debutant Gavin Bain. California Schemin…

Irvine Welsh - Trainspotting (1993)

100 Best Scottish Books of all Time

1 Jan 2005

Much imitated but never bettered, Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting is my personal numero uno 20th century Scottish book. This novel is now so embedded in Scottish culture that it’s hard to remember it’s only been around for 11 years. In that time, it’s…

Neighbourhood Watch: Leith, Edinburgh

A beginner's guide to the capital's port town

21 Jul 2011

What’s it like? It’s Leith. If you’re an Edinburgh List reader, it’s very likely you live there. Glossy bars, Michelin-starred restaurants and warehouse conversions squaring off against cobbles, pint’n’pie pubs and Hibees. Vibrant, community-focused (it…

Five of the best books set in Edinburgh

Five books set in the Scottish capital, including Kidnapped and Trainspotting

16 Feb 2011

1: Confessions of a Justified Sinner - James Hogg Don’t be put off by the title, this is a compelling and surprisingly modern novel which confronts the hypocrisy of the self-righteous. It inspired numerous later works, including Robert Louis…

Paul Reekie – Lost In Action

18 Jun 2010

Five Reasons why the Great Lost Genius of contemporary Scottish letters must not be forgotten. Children of Albion Rovers. In 1996, Reekie’s novella Submission caused a scandal when it appeared alongside work by Irvine Welsh and co in Rebel Inc’s…

Scottish Books - Irvine Welsh, Alan Bissett and Ewan Morrison

9 Jul 2009

Irvine Welsh inspired a generation of young Scottish writers and showed there was literature to be found in the lives of the Scottish underdog. Two of the leading lights of that next generation are Alan Bissett and Ewan Morrison. Both authors boast…

Sick Boy and Renton return in Trainspotting prequel

19 Mar 2008

Ever wondered how Sick Boy, Renton and Spud ended up in their drug-fuelled squalor, choosing heroin over life and over-sized televisions? Fifteen years on and all is about to be revealed, as acclaimed and controversial Scottish writer Irvine Welsh…

Film adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s Ecstasy to premiere at Toronto Film Festival

20 Aug 2011

The premiere of Irvine Welsh’s Ecstasy will take place at the Toronto Independent Film Festival WHEN, which takes place from 8–18 September. The film is directed by music video director Rob Heydon, making his big screen debut, and stars Scottish actors…

Irvine Welsh Q&A at charity Trainspotting screening

19 Aug 2010

Iconic book-cum-film Trainspotting takes centre stage as its author Irvine Welsh does his bit for charity. A screening of the film will be held at the Dominion Cinema in Edinburgh on Wed 1 Sep to mark the 10th anniversary of Scottish charity Love in…

Edinburgh International Book Festival and Edge Festival add to line-up

25 Jun 2009

From a Poet Laureate to cult TV show writers, this year’s Edinburgh International Book Festival launched in style, with a programme boasting writers, poets, politicians, photographers and artists from 45 countries. Highlights of the August line-up…

Scottish Book Trust - Days Like This

16 Oct 2008

Refining that old platitude that everyone’s got a novel in them, the Scottish Book Trust launched their Days Like This project earlier this year, looking for ordinary people’s stories of their extraordinary days. ‘Days Like This is really about…

5 Questions - Irvine Welsh

21 Aug 2008

Give us five words to describe Crime? Crime is an existential thriller. Which authors should be more famous than they are now? I used to say Ron Butlin, but I think that’s changing now. I think Doug Johnstone will soon be very famous. If I have…

Clubbing onstage

Chemical Romance

31 Jul 2008

As an experience that thrives on the spontaneity of the moment, and, often, some kind of altered state of consciousness, clubbing is a difficult subject to translate into drama. Since the mid-90s, the much-trumpeted drug movie or novel has largely…

Irvine Welsh - Crime

3 Jul 2008

CRIME DRAMA (Jonathan Cape) Irvine Welsh has never shied away from the seamy side of life, and for his ninth novel he crosses the Atlantic to the balmy climes of Florida, only to uncover a cesspit of evil that would put some of his previous local…

The People's Story - Days Like This project launched

19 Jun 2008

Scottish Book Trust, Scottish Arts Council and BBC Radio Scotland join forces for groundbreaking book and radio project Days Like This. People the length and breadth of Scotland are being offered the chance to share their stories, as part of a unique…

Freshly squeezed - support for Edwyn Collins

19 Jun 2008

The great and good of the music glitterati have come out in force to support former Orange Juice frontman Edwyn Collins' new single, Home Again, which hits the shelves on Monday 23 June. Franz Ferdinand, Jarvis Cocker, Bernard Butler, Graham Coxon and…

Call for entries for Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival 2008

9 Jun 2008

Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival (SMHAFF) has announced the dates for film submissions. The multi-arts festival is the largest festival of its kind and takes place throughout Scotland between the 1st and 19th October. Films can be…

Trainspotting author to help Scotland shun booze culture

16 Oct 2007

Irvine Welsh will meet with the Scottish Government to discuss how best to tackle the ‘booze and blades’ culture north of the border. The Trainspotting author is to join forces with deputy first minister Nicola Sturgeon, justice minister Kenny…

Welsh wins funding boost to step behind the camera

18 Sep 2007

Irvine Welsh is to make his directorial debut with a £400,000 cash boost from film agency Scottish Screen. The film, The Man Who Walks, is based on a book by Scottish writer Alan Warner about a boy who attempts to track down the man who has killed…

Porno still no nearer completion

23 Aug 2007

The sequel to Trainspotting is still in the sidings according to author Irvine Welsh. Porno, his follow-up novel to his breakout hit, is still waiting on a workable screenplay, though the author did reveal it is currently being worked on by John Hodge…

Irvine Welsh

18 Jun 2007

(Photo: © Steve Double) It’s a busy time for Irvine Welsh. It’s only been a year since the release of his last novel but since then he’s been involved in multiple projects, many of them off the page. His first full-length TV drama Wedding Belles…