Irvine Welsh
|
|
Irvine_Welsh_2004.jpg
Irvine Welsh (born Leith, Edinburgh, September 27, 1961) is a Scottish novelist probably best known for his novel Trainspotting, about a group of heroin addicts' attempts to quit using the drug.
| Contents |
Style
Irvine Welsh is known for writing mostly, but not exclusively, in his native Edinburgh Scots dialect. He wrote this and other dialects phonetically often ignoring the traditional orthographic practices of Scots literacy. Although many authors have attempted to capture working class Scottish vernacular, it has proved notoriously difficult to reproduce in print. In this respect, Welsh is the master. Non-Scottish readers may have difficulty deciphering the language, and will certainly miss some of the symbolism and subtleties related to football, sectarianism and Scottish everyday life which are particularly prevalent in such novels as Marabou Stork Nightmares.
Themes
Welsh is often labelled as a writer whose work concentrates on heroin addiction. However, in his fiction and non-fiction writing, what it is to be working class and Scottish in the period spanning the 60s to the present day could more accurately be said to be the dominant theme. The rise and fall of the council housing scheme, denial of opportunity, sectarianism, football, hooliganism, suppressed homosexuality, dance clubs, low paid work, freemasonry, Irish republicanism, drug use, sodomy, class division, emigration, and perhaps most of all- the humour, prejudice and axioms of the Scottish, are the mainstays of Welsh's writing.
Novels
- Trainspotting (1993)
- The Acid House (1994)
- Marabou Stork Nightmares (1995)
- Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance (1996)
- Filth (1998)
- Glue (2001)
- Porno (2002)
Drama
Screenplay
- "Dose" (http://bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2003/07_july/15/wales_dose.shtml) Half Hour BBC drama written with Dean Cavanagh.
External links
- Irvine Welsh's Website (http://www.irvinewelsh.net/)
- irvinewelsh.com (http://www.irvinewelsh.com/)- extensive collection of hand picked links about Irvine Welsh
- SF Interview about "Babylon Heights" (http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/11/18/DDF332DO1.DTL) play with writing partner Dean Cavanaghde:Irvine Welsh