Irvine Welsh

Irvine Welsh (born June 27, 1958) is a Scottish author known for his dark and often gritty fiction. Growing up in Leith, Edinburgh, Welsh left school at 16 and worked various jobs, including as a musician and a drug counselor. He began writing in the late 1980s, and his debut novel, "Trainspotting," was published in 1993. The book, which follows a group of heroin addicts in Edinburgh, became a critical and commercial success. Welsh has since published numerous novels, including "The Acid House" (1994), "Filth" (1998), and "Porno" (2002). His work has been praised for its authenticity, humor, and unflinching portrayal of society's marginalized. Welsh's books have won several awards, including the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction. His work has also been adapted into films, including the highly acclaimed "Trainspotting" (1996).