 cover of first edition | |
| Author | Irvine Welsh |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
Publication date | April 7, 2016 |
| Pages | 288 |
| ISBN | 978-0-224-10215-5 |
| OCLC | 946602506 |
| Preceded by | A Decent Ride |
| Followed by | Dead Men's Trousers |
The Blade Artist is a 2016 novel by Scottish writer Irvine Welsh. The story follows on from Welsh's previous novels, Trainspotting and Porno , catching up with Begbie's past and present.
Begbie, a violent thug and principal antagonist of Welsh's prior books, is now going by the name of Jim Francis, living and working as an artist in California. He returns to Scotland to attend the funeral of his murdered son. [1] His wife Melanie slowly comes to terms with Jim's dark past. [1]
The novel received mostly good reviews. In The Daily Telegraph , Orlando Bird called it "lean, clever and propulsive". [2] Hannah McGill of The Scotsman commended Welsh's perceptive description of the "divisions that rend families, and the minor lies and delusions that sustain relationships" [3]
In the Oxonian Review , Callum Seddon suggested the novel was "a take on the established trope of ‘the double’ in Scottish literature". [4] Meanwhile, Sunil Badami of The Australian assessed that the novel was "lean and purposeful", and a quick read. [5] In a more mixed notice, Erik Martiny of The London Magazine called it a "resourceful, engagingly lively novel", but stressed that its "main interest derives less from its detective novel scenario than from Welsh’s ability to explore his protagonist’s inner struggle to contain the beast within." [6]
In a negative review for The Guardian , Sarah Ditum suggested the characters were "unconvincing". [7] She added, "As detective fiction it’s shakily assembled, as a horror novel it can’t outpace cinematic torture porn, and as social realism it routinely sends its own plausibility up in smoke." [7]
In December 2021, Robert Carlyle confirmed that he would be reprising the role of Begbie from the film adaptations of Trainspotting and Porno in a TV miniseries based on The Blade Artist. [8]
Irvine Welsh is a Scottish novelist, playwright and short story writer. His 1993 novel Trainspotting was made into a film of the same name. He has also written plays and screenplays, and directed several short films.
Trainspotting is a 1996 British black comedy-drama film directed by Danny Boyle and starring Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, Kevin McKidd, Robert Carlyle, and Kelly Macdonald in her film debut. Based on the 1993 novel of the same title by Irvine Welsh, the film was released in the United Kingdom on 23 February 1996.
Trainspotting is the first novel by Scottish writer Irvine Welsh, first published in 1993. It takes the form of a collection of short stories, written in either Scots, Scottish English or British English, revolving around various residents of Leith, Edinburgh who either use heroin, 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 as "the voice of punk, grown up, grown wiser and grown eloquent".
Porno is a novel published in 2002 by Scottish writer Irvine Welsh, the sequel to Trainspotting. The book describes the characters of Trainspotting ten years after the events of the earlier book, as their paths cross again, this time with the pornography business as the backdrop rather than heroin use. A number of characters from Glue make an appearance as well.
Robert Carlyle is a Scottish actor. His film work includes Trainspotting (1996), The Full Monty (1997), The World Is Not Enough (1999), Angela's Ashes (1999), The Beach (2000), 28 Weeks Later (2007), and Yesterday (2019). He has been in the television shows Hamish Macbeth, Stargate Universe, and Once Upon a Time. He won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for The Full Monty and a Gemini Award for Stargate Universe, and was nominated for an Emmy Award for his work in Human Trafficking (2005).
Filth is a 1998 novel by Scottish writer Irvine Welsh. A sequel, Crime, was published in 2008. It was adapted into a 2013 film of the same name, directed by Jon S. Baird with James McAvoy in the lead role.
Ewen Bremner is a Scottish character actor. His roles have included Julien in Julien Donkey-Boy and Daniel "Spud" Murphy in Trainspotting and its 2017 sequel T2 Trainspotting.
Mark Renton is a fictional character who appears as the protagonist in the novels Trainspotting (1993) and Porno (2002) written by Irvine Welsh. He also appears in the 1996 film adaption of Trainspotting and its sequel T2 Trainspotting (2017), in both of which he is portrayed by Ewan McGregor.
Duncan McLean is a Scottish novelist, short story writer, playwright, and editor.
John Neil Munro, Scottish journalist and biographer.
Skagboys is a 2012 novel by Scottish writer Irvine Welsh. It is a prequel to his 1993 novel Trainspotting, and its 2002 sequel Porno. It follows the earlier lives of characters Renton and Sick Boy as they first descend into heroin addiction.
Reheated Cabbage is a collection of short stories by Scottish writer Irvine Welsh. It was released in the United Kingdom in July 2009.
The family name Begbie originates in south-east Scotland, where it is most common in the Edinburgh and East Lothian areas.
Filth is a 2013 black comedy crime film written and directed by Jon S. Baird, based on Irvine Welsh's 1998 novel Filth. The film was released on 27 September 2013 in Scotland, 4 October 2013 elsewhere in the United Kingdom and in Ireland, and on 30 May 2014 in the United States. It stars James McAvoy, Jamie Bell, and Jim Broadbent.
The Sex Lives of Siamese Twins is the ninth novel by Scottish writer Irvine Welsh, published in May 2014.
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 its 2002 follow-up Porno. A sequel to Boyle's 1996 film Trainspotting, T2 stars the original ensemble cast, including leads Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, and Robert Carlyle, with Shirley Henderson, James Cosmo, and Kelly Macdonald. The film features a new character, Veronika, played by Anjela Nedyalkova, and includes clips, music, and archive sound from the first film.
A Decent Ride is a 2015 novel by Irvine Welsh. Welsh returns to his character Terry Lawson, first introduced in Glue, this book taking place a further 10 years after the events of Porno during the 2011 Scottish Hurricane Bawbag. The book's title is a double-entendre on Lawson's sexual prowess, and his job in this novel as a taxi driver.
Rory Douglas-Speed is a Scottish actor. He studied at Edinburgh Napier University.
The Sir George Robey was a mid-19th century public house and later a music venue on Seven Sisters Road, Finsbury Park, North London, England. It was named in honour of the music hall performer Sir George Robey (1869–1954) in 1968.
Dead Men's Trousers is a 2018 novel by Scottish writer Irvine Welsh. It is a sequel to his earlier books Trainspotting, Porno and Skagboys. Set in 2015, it follows the characters Renton, Sick Boy, Spud and Begbie as they meet up again as middle-aged men.
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