Louise Welsh
Encyclopedia
Louise Welsh is an author
of short stories
and novel
s, based in Glasgow
, Scotland
.
Welsh studied History
at Glasgow University and traded in second-hand books for several years before publishing her first novel.
Louise Welsh's debut novel
The Cutting Room
(2002) was nominated for several literary awards including the 2003 Orange Prize for Fiction
. It won the Crime Writers' Association
Creasey Dagger
for the best first crime novel.
Welsh's second major work, the novella
Tamburlaine Must Die
(2004), fictionally recounts the last few days in the life of 16th-century English dramatist (see Tamburlaine
) and poet Christopher Marlowe
.
Her third novel, The Bullet Trick (2006), is set in Berlin
, London
and Glasgow
and narrated from the perspective of magician and conjurer William Wilson.
Her fourth novel, Naming the Bones, was published by Canongate Books in March 2010.
In 2009, she donated the short story "The Night Highway" to Oxfam's 'Ox-Tales
' project, four collections of UK stories written by 38 authors. Her story was published in the 'Air' collection.
As of December 2010, she is the Writer in Residence at Glasgow University and Glasgow School of Art.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
of short stories
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
and novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s, based in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
Welsh studied History
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
at Glasgow University and traded in second-hand books for several years before publishing her first novel.
Louise Welsh's debut novel
Debut novel
A debut novel is the first novel an author publishes. Debut novels are 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 publish in the future...
The Cutting Room
The Cutting Room (book)
The Cutting Room is the debut novel of Scottish author Louise Welsh. The book was first published in 2002 by Edinburgh-based publisher Canongate...
(2002) was nominated for several literary awards including the 2003 Orange Prize for Fiction
Orange Prize for Fiction
The Orange Prize for Fiction is one of the United Kingdom's most prestigious literary prizes, annually awarded to a female author of any nationality for the best original full-length novel written in English, and published in the United Kingdom in the preceding year...
. It won the Crime Writers' Association
Crime Writers' Association
The Crime Writers Association is a writers' association in the United Kingdom. Founded by John Creasey in 1953, it is currently chaired by Peter James and claims 450+ members....
Creasey Dagger
CWA New Blood Dagger
The CWA New Blood Dagger is an annual award given by the British Crime Writers' Association for first books by previously unpublished writers. It is given in memory of CWA founder John Creasey and was previously known as The John Creasey Memorial Award. The award is voted on by past winners and...
for the best first crime novel.
Welsh's second major work, the novella
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
Tamburlaine Must Die
Tamburlaine Must Die
Tamburlaine Must Die is a novella written by Louise Welsh, which imagines the last days of Christopher Marlowe's life in 1593. The novella was published in 2004 by Canongate Books...
(2004), fictionally recounts the last few days in the life of 16th-century English dramatist (see Tamburlaine
Tamburlaine (play)
Tamburlaine the Great is the name of a play in two parts by Christopher Marlowe. It is loosely based on the life of the Central Asian emperor, Timur 'the lame'...
) and poet Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe was an English dramatist, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. As the foremost Elizabethan tragedian, next to William Shakespeare, he is known for his blank verse, his overreaching protagonists, and his mysterious death.A warrant was issued for Marlowe's arrest on 18 May...
.
Her third novel, The Bullet Trick (2006), is set in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and narrated from the perspective of magician and conjurer William Wilson.
Her fourth novel, Naming the Bones, was published by Canongate Books in March 2010.
In 2009, she donated the short story "The Night Highway" to Oxfam's 'Ox-Tales
Ox-Tales
Ox-Tales refers to four anthologies of short stories written by 38 of the UK's best known authors. All the authors donated their stories to Oxfam...
' project, four collections of UK stories written by 38 authors. Her story was published in the 'Air' collection.
As of December 2010, she is the Writer in Residence at Glasgow University and Glasgow School of Art.