Trainspotting (play)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Trainspotting'' is the
first novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...
by Scottish writer
Irvine Welsh Irvine Welsh (born 27 September 1958) is a Scottish novelist and short story writer. His 1993 novel ''Trainspotting (novel), Trainspotting'' was made into a Trainspotting (film), film of the same name. He has also written plays and screenplays, ...
, first published in 1993. It is written in either Scots,
Scottish English Scottish English is the set of varieties of the English language spoken in Scotland. The transregional, standardised variety is called Scottish Standard English or Standard Scottish English (SSE). Scottish Standard English may be defined ...
or
British English British English is the set of Variety (linguistics), varieties of the English language native to the United Kingdom, especially Great Britain. More narrowly, it can refer specifically to the English language in England, or, more broadly, to ...
, revolving around various residents of
Leith Leith (; ) is a port area in the north of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith and is home to the Port of Leith. The earliest surviving historical references are in the royal charter authorising the construction of ...
,
Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
, who either use
heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a morphinan opioid substance synthesized from the Opium, dried latex of the Papaver somniferum, opium poppy; it is mainly used as a recreational drug for its eupho ...
, are friends of the core group of heroin users, or engage in destructive activities that are effectively addictions. The novel is set in the late 1980s and has been described by ''
The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
'' as "the voice of
punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
, grown up, grown wiser and grown eloquent". The title is an ironic reference to the characters’ frequenting of the disused
Leith Central railway station Leith Central Railway Station was a railway station in Leith, Scotland. It formed the terminus of a North British Railway branch line from Edinburgh Waverley. The station was built on a large scale, and it included a trainshed over the platfor ...
. The novel has since achieved a
cult status A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, book ...
and served as the basis for the film ''
Trainspotting Trainspotting may refer to: * Trainspotting (hobby), an amateur interest in railways/railroads * ''Trainspotting'' (novel), a 1993 novel by Irvine Welsh ** ''Trainspotting'' (film), a 1996 film based on the novel *** ''Trainspotting'' (soundt ...
'' (1996), directed by
Danny Boyle Daniel Francis Boyle (born 20 October 1956) is an English director and producer. He is known for his work on the films ''Shallow Grave (1994 film), Shallow Grave'' (1994), ''Trainspotting (film), Trainspotting'' (1996) and its sequel ''T2 Tra ...
. Two sequels, ''
T2 Trainspotting ''T2 Trainspotting'' is a 2017 British black comedy-drama film directed by Danny Boyle and written by John Hodge. Set in and around Edinburgh, Scotland, it is based on characters created by Irvine Welsh in his 1993 novel '' Trainspotting'' and ...
'', and ''
Dead Men's Trousers ''Dead Men's Trousers'' is a 2018 novel by Scottish writer Irvine Welsh. It is a sequel to his earlier books '' Trainspotting'', '' Porno'', ''Skagboys'' and '' The Blade Artist''. Set in 2015, it follows the characters Renton, Sick Boy, Spud and ...
'' were published in 2002 and 2018 respectively. A prequel, ''
Skagboys ''Skagboys'' is a 2012 Novel in Scotland, novel by Scottish writer Irvine Welsh. It is a prequel to his 1993 novel ''Trainspotting (novel), Trainspotting'', and its 2002 sequel ''Porno (novel), Porno''. It follows the earlier lives of characters ...
'', was published in 2012.


Characters

* Mark "Rent Boy" Renton – The novel's protagonist and most frequent narrator, Renton is the voice of reason among his group of friends, many of whom he dislikes. He narrates his daily life – from supporting his heroin addiction with dole money and petty theft to interacting with the "normal world" – with a cynical approach. He is intelligent and capable of participating in mainstream society, but he is misanthropic and depressed, and uses heroin to give purpose to his life as well as for hedonistic purposes. * Simon "Sick Boy" Williamson – A promiscuous, amoral con artist and one of Renton's close friends. He is often on the lookout for potential scams and has little respect for the many women he seduces. Sick Boy swears off heroin after the death of the infant Dawn, implied to be his daughter, who asphyxiates while her mother Lesley and Sick Boy are on a heroin binge. * Daniel "Spud" Murphy – Naive and childlike, Spud is both the whipping boy and only real source of comfort among Renton's circle of friends, who feel protective of him even as they take advantage of him. Spud is kind, sensitive, and loves animals. Spud is sent to
Saughton Prison HMP Edinburgh is located in the west of Edinburgh on the main A71, in an area now known as Stenhouse, and, although never named as such, has commonly been known as Saughton Prison from the old name for the general area. The prison is situat ...
for a section of the novel for petty theft. * Francis "Franco" Begbie – A violent psychopath and alcoholic, Begbie bullies his "friends" to go along with whatever he says, assaulting or intimidating anyone who challenges him. He expresses intense loyalty to his friends even though he considers junkies beneath him. * Davie Mitchell – Another Leith native and acquaintance of Renton. Davie is a university graduate and holds down a decent job. His life is thrown into chaos when he contracts
HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...
. He narrates the chapters "Bad Blood" and "Traditional Sunday Breakfast". * Tommy Lawrence MacKenzie – A childhood friend of Renton's, Tommy asks Renton for heroin to try after his girlfriend dumps him, which Renton reluctantly provides. Tommy's resulting addiction, illness and death weighs heavily on Renton's conscience. * Rab "Second Prize" McLaughlin – A friend of the main group, who is often inebriated and gets into frequent fights while drunk, which he always loses. Second Prize had a promising career as a pro footballer for
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
, but he was fired from the team after a few years because of his drinking problem.


Structure

The novel is split into seven sections. The first six sections contain multiple chapters from various perspectives; the final section contains one chapter. The novel's plot is
nonlinear In mathematics and science, a nonlinear system (or a non-linear system) is a system in which the change of the output is not proportional to the change of the input. Nonlinear problems are of interest to engineers, biologists, physicists, mathe ...
. Most chapters are narrated in first-person,
stream-of-consciousness In literary criticism, stream of consciousness is a narrative mode or method that attempts "to depict the multitudinous thoughts and feelings which pass through the mind" of a narrator. It is usually in the form of an interior monologue which i ...
style in some combination of Scots and
Standard English In an English-speaking country, Standard English (SE) is the variety of English that has undergone codification to the point of being socially perceived as the standard language, associated with formal schooling, language assessment, and off ...
. Some chapters are written from a third-person omniscient stance to convey the actions and thoughts of several characters in a scene.


Plot summary


Section 1: Kicking

While watching a
Jean-Claude Van Damme Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg (, ; born 18 October 1960), known professionally as Jean-Claude Van Damme (, ), is a Belgian martial artist and actor. Born and raised in Brussels, his father enrolled him in a Shotokan karate schoo ...
video, Mark and Simon (a.k.a. Sick Boy) decide to go buy heroin from Johnny Swan (also called "Mother Superior") since they are both feeling symptoms of withdrawal. They cook up with Raymie and Alison. After being informed that he should go and see Kelly, who has just had an abortion, Renton goes home to finish his video instead. Mark tries to come off heroin by acquiring a bare room and all the things he will require when coming down (canned soup, headache medicine, and pails for vomit). When withdrawal begins to set in, however, he resolves to get another hit to ease the decline. Unable to find any heroin, he acquires
opium Opium (also known as poppy tears, or Lachryma papaveris) is the dried latex obtained from the seed Capsule (fruit), capsules of the opium poppy ''Papaver somniferum''. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid mor ...
suppositories which, after a bout of diarrhoea, he must recover from a bookie's lavatory. Simon attempts to pick up girls while being annoyed by Mark, who wants to watch videos. Sick Boy eventually loses Renton. An infant, Dawn, later dies. Her mother Lesley is a heroin addict and acquaintance of the group. The cause of death is unclear; characters speculate that it may have been a cot death or caused by neglect. The Skag Boys are unsure of how to respond. Sick Boy becomes more emotional and distressed than the others and eventually breaks down, stating he is kicking heroin for good. Simon does not explicitly state that he was the child's father. Mark wants to comfort his friend, but is unsure how and cooks a shot for himself to deal with the situation. A sobbing Lesley asks him to also cook her up a hit, which Mark does but makes sure he injects himself before her. After an argument with his girlfriend Carol, Second Prize meets Tommy in a pub, and Tommy confronts a man who is punching his girlfriend. They are shocked to find the woman supports her abusive boyfriend instead of her would-be liberators by digging her nails into Tommy's face, inciting a brawl. While the couple slips out unnoticed, Tommy and Second Prize find themselves taking the blame for the whole affair from the pub locals. Spud and Renton, who have been assigned interviews as part of their job-seeking benefits, deliberately fail to get jobs, while attempting to obscure that it is deliberate.


Section 2: Relapsing

Renton, Begbie and their girlfriends meet up for a drink before going to a party, but it ends when Begbie throws a glass off a balcony, hitting someone and splitting open their head, setting off a pub brawl. Tommy visits Renton's flat (shortly after Renton relapsed) after being dumped by his girlfriend. Renton reluctantly gives him heroin, setting off Tommy's decline into addiction,
HIV/AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...
, and later, death. Later, Renton's brother Billy and his friends Lenny, Naz Peasbo, and Jackie are waiting for their friend Granty to arrive for a game of cards, as he is holding the money pot. They later find out that Granty is dead and his girlfriend disappeared with the money, prompting them to beat Jackie, whom they knew to have been sleeping with her.


Section 3: Kicking Again

Begbie and Lexo pull a crime, so Begbie decides to lie low in London with Renton. Spud kicks heroin, and visits his grandmother, where his mixed-race uncle Dode is staying. Dode has had many troubles with racism growing up. One day, he and Spud went to a pub and were assaulted by skinheads. This abuse led to a fight, which left Dode hospitalised, where Spud visits him. Renton kicks heroin and is restless. He picks up a girl at a nightclub, Dianne, unaware that she is only fourteen. He is later forced to lie to her parents at breakfast the following morning. Despite his guilt and discomfort, he sleeps with Dianne again when she appears at his flat. Spud, Renton and Sick Boy take
ecstasy Ecstasy most often refers to: * Ecstasy (emotion), a trance or trance-like state in which a person transcends normal consciousness * Religious ecstasy, a state of consciousness, visions or absolute euphoria * Ecstasy (philosophy), to be or stand o ...
and stroll to the Meadows where Sick Boy and Renton try to kill a squirrel but stop after Spud becomes upset, remembering Dawn. Mark is ashamed and Spud forgives him.


Section 4: Blowing It

Renton and Spud are in court for stealing books. Renton gets a suspended sentence owing to his attempts at rehabilitation, while Spud is sentenced to ten months in prison. Renton relapses and has to suffer heroin withdrawal at his parents' house, where he experiences hallucinations of Dawn, the television programme he is watching, and the lecture provided by his father. He is later visited by Sick Boy and goes out to a pub with his parents, whose enthusiasm acts as a veneer for their authoritative treatment. Renton's brother Billy dies in Northern Ireland with the British Army. Renton attends the funeral; there, he almost starts a fight with some of his father's Unionist relatives, and ends up having sex with Billy's pregnant girlfriend in the toilet.


Section 5: Exile

Renton is stranded in London with no place to sleep. He tries to fall asleep in an all-night porno theatre, where he meets Gi, an old homosexual who lets him stay at his flat. Later, Renton, Spud, Begbie, Gav, Alison and others venture out for another drink and something to eat.


Section 6: Home

Spud, Begbie, and a teenager engage in a robbery. Spud later comments on Begbie's paranoia and how the teenager is likely to get ripped off by the pair. Gav tells Renton the story of how Matty died of
toxoplasmosis Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic disease caused by ''Toxoplasma gondii'', an apicomplexan. Infections with toxoplasmosis are associated with a variety of neuropsychiatric and behavioral conditions. Occasionally, people may have a few weeks or month ...
after attempting to rekindle his relationship with his ex using a kitten. The group attends Matty's funeral. Later, Renton returns to Leith for Christmas and meets Begbie, who beats up an innocent man after having seen his alcoholic father in the disused
Leith Central railway station Leith Central Railway Station was a railway station in Leith, Scotland. It formed the terminus of a North British Railway branch line from Edinburgh Waverley. The station was built on a large scale, and it included a trainshed over the platfor ...
. He visits a former drug dealer, Johnny Swan, who has had his leg amputated as a result of heroin use, and he visits Tommy, who is dying of AIDS.


Section 7: Exit

Renton, Sick Boy, Begbie, Spud and Second Prize go to London to engage in a heroin deal and see a
Pogues The Pogues are an English Celtic punk band founded in King's Cross, London, in 1982, by Shane MacGowan, Spider Stacy and Jem Finer. Originally named Pogue Mahone—an anglicisation of the Irish phrase ''póg mo thóin'', meaning "kiss my ...
gig. Renton steals the cash and goes to
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
. Renton thinks that he will send Spud his cut, as he is the only 'innocent' party.


Stage adaptation

Soon after publication, the book was adapted for the stage by Harry Gibson. The stage version inspired the subsequent film, and regularly toured the UK in the mid-1990s. This adaptation starred
Ewen Bremner Ewen Bremner (born 23 January 1972) is a Scottish actor. His roles have included Shawn Nelson in '' Black Hawk Down'', Julien in '' Julien Donkey-Boy'' and Daniel "Spud" Murphy in '' Trainspotting'' and its 2017 sequel '' T2 Trainspotting''. E ...
and later
Tam Dean Burn Tam Dean Burn (born 1958 in Leith, Scotland) is a Scottish actor who has played a wide range of roles on stage and screen. On television this includes multiple roles on long-running detective series ''Taggart'', youth sci-fi thriller ''Life Forc ...
as Renton. The US stage premier occurred in
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
in 1996. It was produced and shown in the upstairs room (a tiny 50-seat theatre) at the Edinburgh Castle Pub, the small, but legendary literary and arts bar. The play was produced and directed by Alan Black, the head of the Scottish Cultural and Arts Foundation, which was an organization that held Scottish-connected events in San Francisco in the 90s. The play was a huge success. It was twice extended and hundreds of hopeful viewers had to be turned away because of a lack of space in the tiny theater above the pub. The Los Angeles production won the 2002 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Direction, and the 2002
LA Weekly Theater Award LA Weekly Theater Award was an annual critics' award system established in 1979, organized by the ''LA Weekly'' for outstanding achievements in small theatre productions in Southern California. Nominees were typically announced in January for E ...
for Direction, for director Roger Mathey. In 2013, In Your Face Theatre and Seabright Productions staged a new immersive production of Gibson's adaptation rebranded as ''Trainspotting Live''. Directed by
Adam Spreadbury-Maher Adam Spreadbury-Maher is an Australian/Irish theatre artistic director, producer and writer. He is the founding artistic director of the Cock Tavern Theatre, OperaUpClose and The Hope Theatre, and was artistic director of the Kings Hesd until ...
and Greg Esplin, this production has gone on to sell out at three
Edinburgh Festival Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...
s and played to critical acclaim in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, on several UK tours and in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. In 2021, the novel was further adapted into a musical.


Film adaptation

The film was directed by
Danny Boyle Daniel Francis Boyle (born 20 October 1956) is an English director and producer. He is known for his work on the films ''Shallow Grave (1994 film), Shallow Grave'' (1994), ''Trainspotting (film), Trainspotting'' (1996) and its sequel ''T2 Tra ...
, with an adapted screenplay written by John Hodge. It starred
Ewan McGregor Ewan Gordon McGregor ( ; born 31 March 1971) is a Scottish actor. His accolades include a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. In 2013, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to drama and ...
,
Robert Carlyle Robert Carlyle (born 14 April 1961) is a Scottish actor. His film work includes: '' Trainspotting'' (1996), '' The Full Monty'' (1997), '' Ravenous'' and ''The World Is Not Enough'' (both 1999), '' There's Only One Jimmy Grimble'' (2000), '' ...
,
Jonny Lee Miller Jonathan Lee Miller (born 15 November 1972) is an English actor. He achieved early success for his portrayal of Simon "Sick Boy" Williamson in the dark comedy-drama film '' Trainspotting'' (1996) and as Dade Murphy in '' Hackers'' (1995) before ...
and Ewen Bremner. Welsh made a cameo appearance as the drug dealer Mikey Forrester. The film was ranked 10th by the
British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...
(BFI) in its list of Top 100 British films of all time. It also brought Welsh's book to an international cinema audience and added to the phenomenal popularity of the novel.


Reception

''Trainspotting'' was longlisted for the 1993
Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a prestigious literary award conferred each year for the best single work of sustained fiction written in the English language, wh ...
(and was apparently rejected for the shortlist after "offending the sensibilities of two judges"). Welsh claimed that the book had sold over one million copies in the UK by 2015, and been translated into thirty languages.


References


Further reading

* * *


External links


Irvine Welsh discusses ''Trainspotting''
on the BBC ''
World Book Club ''World Book Club'' is a radio programme on the BBC World Service. Each edition of the programme, which is broadcast on the first Saturday of the month with repeats into the following Monday, features a famous author discussing one of his or her ...
'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Trainspotting (Novel) 1993 British novels 1993 debut novels 1993 in Scotland Black comedy books Books about depression Scottish novels adapted into films Nonlinear narrative novels Novels by Irvine Welsh Novels set in Edinburgh Novels about heroin addiction Scottish English Scots-language works Trainspotting Secker & Warburg books Leith fr:Trainspotting