Skagboys just out for the buzz on drugs, to total junkies. It shows how their attitudes and behaviour start to change as they become more defined by the drug and the culture around it". In 2012, Welsh said the prequel was actually initially written as part of "Trainspotting" but was not used in the published version. He later decided he would either erase his old work or use it in some way, as "he had a fear that he might fall under a bus and leave behind 'half-written stuff' which people would publish". He said, "I just went through it and
John Irving from his first publisher, Random House, Irving offered his fourth novel, "The World According to Garp" (1978), to Dutton, which promised him stronger commitment to marketing. The novel became an international bestseller and cultural phenomenon. It was a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction in 1979 (eventually going to Tim O'Brien for "Going After Cacciato") and its first paperback edition won the Award next year. "Garp" was later made into a film directed by George Roy Hill and starring Robin Williams in the title role and Glenn Close as his mother; it garnered several Academy Award nominations, including