The Long Knives

Irvine Welsh was born in Scotland, in Edinburgh. He dropped out of high school at 16 and had several jobs, but enjoyed working as little as studying. He moved to London, in the 1970s, where he discovered the punk scene and returned to his studies. Later, back in Edinburgh, he earned an MBA and began writing. An early draft – made from old diaries – gave rise to his debut novel, Trainspotting, published in 1993. Since its film adaptation in 1996, Irvine Welsh has dedicated himself entirely to writing, becoming a somewhat controversial figure within literary criticism, a status aggravated by the commercial success of his books. Ecstasy, published in Portugal by Quetzal, was the first paperback to go directly to the top spot on the Sunday Times bestseller list. In 2005 Irvine Welsh got married for the second time. He currently lives in Dublin and spends large periods of the winter in Miami Beach.