Irvine Welsh

Born in Edinburgh’s Leith in 1958, Welsh grew up in the working-class district of Muirhouse, where he left school at 16 to start work. He didn’t like work much more than he’d liked school, though it did give him the chance to experience London’s punk scene. In the eighties he went back to Edinburgh, where he worked for Edinburgh District Council and, energized by the rave scene, dug out old notes to write the draft of what was to be his first novel, Trainspotting. This was followed by Ecstasy (1998), Filth (2000), Glue (2003), Porno (2005) and Bedroom Secrets of the Masterchefs (2007), all published in Spanish by Anagrama. Skagboys is his latest work.