Irvine Welsh - Can Nothing Save Us

Few British novelists have left such a distinctive mark on popular culture as Irvine Welsh, whose Trainspotting exploded into literary consciousness in the 1990s with its ferocious mixture of black humour, drug culture, working-class experience and fractured Scottish voices. On 19 September, Welsh comes to Komedia for Can Nothing Save Us, an afternoon of conversation, audience questions and book signing that offers the chance to hear the writer discuss the ideas, experiences and cultural forces behind his work.

Welsh's career began with The Acid House before Trainspotting established him as one of the most controversial and influential writers of his generation. The novel's characters — Renton, Begbie, Sick Boy and Spud — subsequently moved from the page to Danny Boyle's iconic 1996 film, while Welsh continued to revisit their world in Porno, Skagboys, The Blade Artist and A Decent Ride. His fictional universe has expanded far beyond Trainspotting, encompassing novels…