Irvine Welsh (GBR)

Irvine was born in the great city of Edinburgh and matured in the housing schemes of Leith, West Pilton and Muirhouse. Neither school nor conventional employment appealed, but he was inspired to write after experiencing the explosions of Punk and Rave first hand.

Trainspotting, his debut novel, was rejected from the Man Booker Prize shortlist, allegedly for offending the judges. It went on to sell over a million copies in the UK alone and was adapted into an iconic film by Danny Boyle in 1996. Porno was adapted into T2: Trainspotting, a sequel that reunited the original cast and crew. The much-loved antiheroes of Trainspotting inhabit a fictional universe based on Welsh's experience of an inner-city Scotland blighted by Thatcherism and drug abuse. This universe has often been revisited in novels including Skagboys, The Blade Artist and A Decent Ride.

Irvine Welsh serves as the Official Ambassador of the Homeless World Cup and works with local, national and international charities. He currently lives between Edinburgh, London and Miami. He has been involved in dance music for most of his life, as a DJ and promoter and is a partner, with Carl Loben and Steve Mac, in the Brighton-based record label Jack Said What.