Capítulo uno. Irvine Welsh in conversation with Patricia Gosálvez

Ever since Trainspotting became a literary and later a film sensation, Welsh has been described as “the Scottish Celine of the nineties”, “an excellent chronicler and a genius of the most perverse satire” or a “cult novelist”. He has also been accused of being an author who writes books that are read by people who don't normally read, and of having a negative opinion of literature. The fact of the matter is that this prolific writer does not conform to the norm, which may be what most upsets those in search of a more accommodating literature. His unapologetic use of Scottish dialect and the narrative fragments he scatters around his novels - ranging from philosophical observations to criminal acts - creates a prose that is not only consistent with a somewhat punk idea of storytelling, but is also a perfect illustration of his stated intention:

“I like to challenge, disturb, upset and irritate people when I write. That’s really what motivates me: pushing myself to see things you don’t normally see in fiction, or if you do, you only see them in a very clichéd way from the author’s godlike perspective”.