SCOTS author Irvine Welsh has taken a hilarious swipe at critics of his novels after a fan’s book collection was destroyed by his pooch.
Dave Stannard was left gutted on Friday when he returned home in Bradford, Yorkshire to find that his Welsh novels had been demolished by his pet dog.
With the damage inflicted in just an hour of him being gone, Dave took to social media to air his frustrations – but could never had expected a reaction from the man himself.
Welsh, 65, soon replied with a playful jibe at those who have been previously vocal in their distaste for his work.
Images show the floor in Dave’s dining room littered with what remains of his Welsh collection – with the books having been thoroughly ruined by his pooch.
The novels lie in tatters across the grey carpet, with scraps of their covers and inner pages rendering the books beyond repair.
Among the destroyed collection is Welsh’s 1994 book Acid House, which appears to have been ripped in half, although the cover remains largely undamaged.
The 1996 reissue of Welsh’s famous novel Trainspotting looks to have also fallen victim to the pooch’s unquenchable hunger.
The book lies on its front as half of the cover appears to have been dog-eared with pieces of the back chewed.
Dave shared the hilarious image on social media on Friday, writing: “That f***ing dog has destroyed my Irvine Welsh book collection. For f***’s sake.”
Dave then tagged Welsh, asking: “Did you upset her when you came to Bradford by any chance?”
The post received dozens of likes and comments from fellow fans as well as Welsh himself, who made reference to a ruthless review he received from The Scotsman for his 2022 book The Long Knives.
The tongue-in-cheek author wrote in the comments: “The dog isn’t a literary critic on the Scotsman by any chance?”
Many others were quick to also respond to Dave’s post.
One person joked: “Harsh critic.”
Another said: “My dog’s the same, mate – eats everything.”
A third joked: “Is the dog called Begbie by any chance?”
A fourth added: “Best thing for it.”
Welsh, who is based in Leith, Edinburgh, is well-known for books such as Filth, Crime and Trainspotting, which achieved cult status with its 1996 film adaptation starring Ewan McGregor and Ewen Bremner.
However, Welsh was heavily criticised by The Scotsman’s Malcolm Jack in his review of The Long Knives.
The critic claimed that Welsh’s book The Long Knives was a “provocatively Welshian entry point to the core theme of the book – transgender issues and gender identity – which may or may not have something to do with the motives for this bloody spree”.
He added in the review: “There is plenty Welsh fans will enjoy about this book, not least its subtext of cartoonishly gory Tory bashing (note to Conservative readers: Irvine Welsh novels probably aren’t for you) and yet there’s much that feels frustratingly rushed about it too.
“Characters are introduced and then disappear with confusing speed – are we meant to know them from elsewhere in the exponentially expanding Welsh universe, or are they simply red herrings, dumped overboard like chum from a trawler?
“It renders The Long Knives less of a ‘whodunnit’ than a ‘who was that?’”
Welsh’s latest book Resolution will be released later this year.
