'The first job of a writer: Be honest'

 

“I think young writers should get other degrees first, social sciences, arts degrees or even business degrees. What you learn is research skills, a necessity because a lot of writing is about trying to find information.” – Irvine Welsh

Born in Scotland in September (“Sometime in the 1950s”), Welsh is perhaps best known for his novel Trainspotting, also made into a critically acclaimed  film.   His work often depicts the hardscrabble life of his native home of Edinburgh, where he grew up the son of a dockworker and waitress.

 

After dropping out of high school, he tried his luck at a variety of jobs before getting into the London music scene, where for a time he thought his success might rest with writing songs.  But it was while telling some of the tales of his childhood and his upbringing that he was encouraged to start writing down the stories that led to Trainspotting.  

 

Despite being lambasted by some as “too mean,” it became an almost instant success and started him on his writing path.  He has now authored 14 novels – the most recent being this year’s Resolution –  plus half-a-dozen books of short stories and many plays and screenplays.

 

“The first job of a writer is to be honest," Welsh said. "Writing is about culture and should be about everything. That's what makes it what it is.”