Pimp : The story of my life

With an introduction by Irvine Welsh

The ultimate anti-hero, Iceberg Slim, takes you into the secret inner world of the pimp, and the smells, the sounds, the fears and petty triumphs of his world. A legendary figure of the Chicago underworld, this is his story: from defending his mother against the evil men she brought into their lives, to becoming a giant of the streets. A seething tale of brutality, cunning and greed, Pimp is a harrowing portrait of life on the wrong side of the tracks, and a rich warning from a true survivor.

Praise for Pimp:

'Basically, Slim and writers like him gave me the confidence to write in my own voice. If I hadn’t picked up Pimp, I doubt I could have gone on to write Trainspotting or Glue…Robert Beck, aka Iceberg Slim, in terms of his impact on shaping our global cultural landscape, is probably now as essential reading as William Shakespeare. Black and white alike, we have to get beyond his life as a pimp, and accept him as one of the most influential writers of our age.’

Irvine Welsh

'Slim belongs to the knuckle-duster-in-the-face school of storytelling.'

Sunday Times

'Iceberg Slim does for the pimp what Jean Genet does for the thief.'

Wahington Post

'Iceberg Slim always kept it real. Pimp is blatant, uncompromising and as close to the truth as you can get without going there yourself.'

Ice T

'A remarkable tour de force of carnality and violence.'

The Times