Lust For Life!: Irvine Welsh and the Trainspotting Phenomenon - Softcover

Munro, John Neil

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1846972426 ISBN 13: 9781846972423

Publisher: Birlinn, 2013

Synopsis

An unknown Edinburgh writer penned the most talked-about book of a generation, and this is the inside story of the Trainspotting phenomenon. In the mid-1980s, Irvine Welsh’s life was going nowhere fast. His teenage dreams of being a footballer or a rock star were over, and he was stuck in a series of white-collar jobs which he loathed. With the last throw of the dice, he started to write. In 1993 his debut novel—which centered on the desperate day-to-day struggles of a group of Edinburgh schemies and junkies—was published. Even Irvine’s publisher, Secker & Warburg, didn’t hold out much hope. Only 1,000 copies were printed and the word was that Irvine might become a cult author, a “Scottish Bukowski.” But, as the rave reviews increased, the book, memorably described as “the voice of punk, grown up, grown wiser, and grown eloquent,” rapidly achieved global success. It was followed, in 1996, by Danny Boyle’s raw, high-energy film, which received worldwide critical acclaim and launched the careers of several young Scottish actors such as Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, and Kelly Macdonald. This book includes rare, never-before-seen photographs and is published to coincide with the novel Trainspotting’s 20th anniversary.

About this title

About the Author:

John Neil Munro is the author of several books, including The Sensational Alex Harvey, Some People Are Crazy, and When George Came to Edinburgh.

Review:

'If Trainspotting was "The book that deserved to sell more copies than the Bible", then Lust For Life is its "Greatest Story Ever Told"' - The Herald

About this edition

• Publisher: Birlinn
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1846972426
• ISBN 13: 9781846972423
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 220