# Which books defined a generation? with Irvine Welsh and Derek Owusu Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/ask-penguin-555431/which-books-defined-a-generation-with-irvine-welsh-and-derek-owusu Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/ask-penguin-555431/which-books-defined-a-generation-with-irvine-welsh-and-derek-owusu.md Podcast: [Ask Penguin](https://stenobird.com/podcast/ask-penguin-555431) Published: 2025-08-05T23:02:00+00:00 Episode link: https://shows.acast.com/thepenguinpodcast/episodes/live-at-latitude-irvine-welsh-and-derek-owusu Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/acast/s/thepenguinpodcast/e/68937c7eeef665d629c51caa/media.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/ask-penguin-555431/episodes/which-books-defined-a-generation-with-irvine-welsh-and-derek-owusu Duration seconds: 2850 ## Resource What would you recommend an inspiring writer to read? What is the best gateway book to get into reading? Who are the new and upcoming Scottish novelists working today to watch out for?   Recorded live at Latitude Festival, Irvine Welsh sits down with host Rhianna Dhillon to delve into his new novel Men in Love , the eagerly awaited sequel to Trainspotting , which explores the vibrant landscape of youth culture through the decades and the nuances of defining a generation through the arts. Plus, award-winning author and Penguin colleague Derek Owusu joins the panel, providing personalised book recommendations to audience members. We also speak to readers at the festival and ask them: what is the book that defined your youth?    Find all the books mentioned in this episode and more at by clicking this link: The Penguin Podcast: Latitude special Follow our dedicated Broadcast channel on Instagram for exclusive content and giveaways: @PenguinUKBooks Send us a question: penguinpodcast@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk Website: www.penguin.co.uk/podcast Irvine Welsh was born and raised in Edinburgh. His first novel, Trainspotting , has sold over one million copies in the UK and was adapted into an era-defining film. He has written fourteen further novels, including the number one Sunday Times bestseller Dead Men’s Trousers , four books of shorter fiction and numerous plays and screenplays. Irvine Welsh currently lives between London, Edinburgh and Miami.   Derek Owusu is a writer, poet and podcaster from north London. He discovered his passion for literature at the age of twenty-three while studying exercise science at university. Unable to afford a change of degree, Derek began reading voraciously and sneaking into English Literature lectures at the Univ… ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/ask-penguin-555431/episodes/which-books-defined-a-generation-with-irvine-welsh-and-derek-owusu/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/ask-penguin-555431/which-books-defined-a-generation-with-irvine-welsh-and-derek-owusu.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.