Putin's ban: let's hear it for swearing!
The Russian president wants to censor bad language in plays, films and books. Irvine Welsh and others tell Alison Flood why this is a dreadful idea Swearing in literature: share examples of bad...
View ArticleThe Sex Lives of Siamese Twins by Irvine Welsh review
Welsh's clever focus on body obsession is frustrated by his lightweight narratorsAs we've come to expect from an Irvine Welsh hero, Lucy Brennan, the narrator of The Sex Lives of Siamese Twins, is an...
View ArticleSwearing in literature: share examples of bad language in good books
Art and literature would miss out without the rude language of everyday life share examples of the quality quotes that would fall foul of PutinIf Vladimir Putin gets his way and he tends to any book...
View ArticleThe Sex Lives of Siamese Twins by Irvine Welsh digested read
John Crace sweats the new novel by Edinburgh's enfant terrible down to a buff 700 wordsSo cry-baby Miles was moaning about his back and refusing to fuck me, so I split. I was driving back to my...
View ArticleSydney writers' festival: 10 things to see
From Alice Walker to Irvine Welsh via discussions about atheism and a poetry slam, there's a wealth of things to see at this week's books event. Here's our pickSydneys being overrun by big-name...
View ArticleIrvine Welsh: live Q&A
Live webchat with Irvine Welsh post your questions hereHe exploded onto the literary scene with Trainspotting in 1993, and has been proudly in our faces ever since. Now Irvine Welsh is back with his...
View ArticleIrvine Welsh, Sandi Toksvig and Gary Shteyngart on debauchery
At Sydney writers' festival, a strangely curated panel provides plenty of laughs but little in the way of illuminationLaunching into the weekend of the Sydney writers' festival, Annabel Crabb hosts a...
View ArticleTara Moss, Irvine Welsh and Damon Young on writing about bodies
Are personal trainers now the masters of our bodies? How are women's physiques fictionalised? Sydney writers' festival tackles the corporealBodies: we all have them, but how do we engage with them -...
View ArticleSydney writers' festival 2014 as it happened
We liveblogged four whole days of the Sydney writers' festival. Relive the action here, and let us know what you thought of the festival in the comment box4.31pm AESTAnd with Emma Donoghue's closing...
View Article10 authors who are brilliant at Twitter
They can write books, but can they tweet? Here are 10 authors you should followYou'd think it natural that writers would be good at Twitter after all, words are their bread and butter. However, some...
View ArticleYes or No? Scotland's stars take sides in independence debate
Sean Connery and Frankie Boyle say yes. David Tennant and Susan Boyle say no. Will Scots be swayed by the celebrity vote?The Better Together campaign is to unveil later this week a phalanx of UK...
View ArticleScottish writers on the referendum independence day?
Should Scotland go it alone? As the referendum approaches, leading Scottish writers give their thoughts Essay: Scottish independence literature and nationalism Robert Burns and the yes campaignAye!We...
View ArticleIDP: 2043 review dystopian Scottish graphic novel
A quirky collaborative story featuring the work of Irvine Welsh, Mary Talbot and Pat Mills set in Scotland's highest village after the rest of the country has been floodedWhere will Scotland be in...
View ArticleRowling: I'll be 'just fine', but if it all goes badly wrong, other people...
The author explains her donation to Better Together as other cultural figures declare their allegiance to 'Yes'Voters in the referendum are "being asked to play a game before they know the rules", JK...
View ArticleTips, links and suggestions: what are you reading this week?
Your space to discuss the books you are reading and what you think of themWelcome to this weeks blog. Heres a roundup of your comments and photos from last week.PatLux was surprised by other readers...
View ArticleDid George Osborne choose Trainspotting for his speech?
The chancellors conference speech called on Britain to choose the Conservatives; choose the future. But how did Irvine Welsh feel about him echoing the novels famous lines?Name: Trainspotting.Age:...
View ArticleThe 10 best quotable novels
Certain works of fiction have so many memorable lines that they’ve entered everyday language. Alex Clark picks her favouritesHave we missed a novel from the list? Leave your suggestion in the comments...
View ArticleWodehouse prize for comic fiction 2015 shortlist announced
Writers Alexander McCall Smith, Irvine Welsh, Caitlin Moran and Nina Stibbe among the six shortlisted for the 2015 awardAuthors including Alexander McCall Smith, Irvine Welsh, Caitlin Moran and Nina...
View ArticleMiliband and Cameron are too boring for fiction, says Irvine Welsh
The party leaders are so dull and detested you couldn’t make them up, and even politicians on the left now have no common ground in places such as Leith, says the author of TrainspottingDavid Cameron...
View ArticleIrvine Welsh webchat – post your questions now
The ferocious bard of Scotland’s underbelly is joining us for a live webchat on Tuesday 21 April from 11.20am onwards – post your questions for him in the comments belowSee Irvine Welsh in conversation...
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