What's your favourite Irvine Welsh novel?

[nosos]

I recently read Irvine Welsh's The Long Knives and thought it was pretty terrible. This prompted me to go back through the older books, in order to remember quite how brilliant they were.

What's your favourite? Mine is Glue by far, quite unlike his other novels, closely followed by Porno.

 

[nottsgirl]

What’s the book of short stories? I read that a few years ago at Christmas and really loved it.

 

[MickiQ]

Never read any of them, indeed prior to this thread I had never heard of him. I have seen the film Trainspotting but had no idea who wrote it.

 

[DotCommunist]

What’s the book of short stories? I read that a few years ago at Christmas and really loved it.

'If you Liked School, You'll Love Work'?

Jon Of Arc (rip) on here sent me that. Said the protagonist of the story 'Kingdom of Fife' was me. Very good. Or it could be 'E is for Ecstasy' which is also shorts?

 

[planetgeli]

What’s the book of short stories? I read that a few years ago at Christmas and really loved it.

The Acid House.

 

[maomao]

'If you Liked School, You'll Love Work'?

Jon Of Arc (rip) on here sent me that. Said the protagonist of the story 'Kingdom of Fife' was me. Very good. Or it could be 'E is for Ecstasy' which is also shorts?

It was just called Ecstasy. That's the one with Jimmy Savile in it. And we all knew it was Jimmy Savile when we read it.

 

[dessiato]

In no particular order, Trainspotting, Porno, and The Blade Artist.

I like most of those on the list.

 

[killer b]

Trainspotting is an incredible work, one of my favourite books ever I think. I've found all his other books I've tried to be uneven at best to terrible at worst, Still, one perfect book is far more than almost any other writer has managed, so it's all good.

 

[DotCommunist]

It was just called Ecstasy. That's the one with Jimmy Savile in it. And we all knew it was Jimmy Savile when we read it.

I didn't know at the time of reading but had heard this before Savile died.

 

[stethoscope]

Trainspotting and Ecstasy

 

[nosos]

This is interesting. Am I the only person who thinks Glue is his best novel?

 

[danny la rouge]

I’m not a fan.

 

[paul mckenna]

This is interesting. Am I the only person who thinks Glue is his best novel?

No you're not. I found it really affecting. Kinda caught me by surprise given his usual stuff.

I thought Porno was the funniest with Sick Boy turned up to the max. Plus Juice Terry haha. Trainspotting of course is awesome also

 

[nosos]

No you're not. I found it really affecting. Kinda caught me by surprise given his usual stuff.

I thought Porno was the funniest with Sick Boy turned up to the max. Plus Juice Terry haha. Trainspotting of course is awesome also

Exactly. It felt like he pushed himself as a novelist in way that completely went into reverse with the recent books.

 

[paul mckenna]

Exactly. It felt like he pushed himself as a novelist in way that completely went into reverse with the recent books.

He may well be writing more for the screen nowadays cause they're more plot-driven and with a true crime bent.

Perhaps he's just used up all the madcap characters from his past given his Miami/Amsterdam living

 

[nosos]

And possibly because he's been a millionaire for a couple of decades...

 

[ouirdeaux]

I thought Trainspotting was brilliant, much better than the film. Not much else I've read by him sticks in the mind, apart from a couple of short stories that are memorable, but not in the same league.

 

[souljacker]

Filth, maribou stork, Porno and trainspotting are probably my faves. Dead man's trousers was decent as was the blade artist.

 

[Orang Utan]

Marabou Stork Nightmares for sure.

 

[BoatieBird]

The Long Knives is available for 99p on Kindle at the moment.
I've bought it and will read it, but nothing tops his earlier stuff IMO.

 

[mwgdrwg]

This is interesting. Am I the only person who thinks Glue is his best novel?

No. I do too!

 

[campanula]

With killer b here.

 

[Fallon]

Read most, if not all, of his stuff. Some books multiple times.

Filth probably tops the list.

 

[nosos]

I finished Bedroom Secrets of the Master Chefs which was the last one I hadn't read.

Did anyone else find the rape scene disturbing in its own right and much more so because of how incidental it was to the plot? I found this much more unsettling than if it had been a meaningful plot device.

 

[spellbinder]

I enjoyed filth it had me lmbo if places - i was disappointed by the film.

 

[Riklet]

Skagboys is really fantastic. My close fav to Trainspotting. I really liked Dead Man's Trousers too but its not quite so moving.

 

[not henry]

he only did one novel really. if he had stopped then he would as famous as that radge that fucked aboot in the long grass

 

[not henry]

catcher in the rye ya cunts

 

[DotCommunist]

he only did one novel really. if he had stopped then he would as famous as that radge that fucked aboot in the long grass

Glue feels like an attempt to do something else, to push his work further. It still contains his trademark gross bits and humour but he leans into the social history aspect. How communities are made and unmade. Thoughtful rather than flashy.

 

[not henry]

Glue feels like an attempt to do something else, to push his work further. It still contains his trademark gross bits and humour but he leans into the social history aspect. How communities are made and unmade. Thoughtful rather than flashy.

Are you havin a go