Author Biography | Interview | Books by this Author | Readalikes
Born in the Kingdom of Fife in 1960, Ian Rankin graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1982, and then spent three years writing novels when he was supposed to be working towards a PhD in Scottish Literature. His first Rebus novel was published in 1987, and the Rebus books are now translated into twenty-two languages and are bestsellers on several continents.
Ian Rankin has been elected a Hawthornden Fellow, and is also a past winner of the Chandler-Fulbright Award. He is the recipient of four Crime Writers' Association Dagger Awards including the prestigious Diamond Dagger in 2005. In 2004, Ian won America's celebrated Edgar Award for Resurrection Men. He has also been shortlisted for the Edgar and Anthony Awards in the USA, and won Denmark's Palle Rosenkrantz Prize, the French Grand Prix du Roman Noir and the Deutscher Krimipreis.
Ian Rankin is also the recipient of honorary degrees from the universities of Abertay, St Andrews and Edinburgh.
A contributor to BBC2's 'Newsnight Review', he also presented his own TV series, 'Ian Rankin's Evil Thoughts'. He recently received the OBE for services to literature, opting to receive the prize in his home city of Edinburgh, where he lives with his partner and two sons.
Ian Rankin's website
This bio was last updated on 08/03/2016. We try to keep BookBrowse's biographies both up to date and accurate, but with many thousands of lives to keep track of it's a tough task. So, please help us - if the information about this author is out of date or inaccurate, and you know of a more complete source, please let us know. Authors and publishers: If you wish to make changes to a bio, send the complete biography as you would like it displayed so that we can replace the old with the new.
In the past, there have been all sorts
of weird coincidences in the writing of your books. Any to share with us this
time around?
What usually happens is, I write about
something, and sometime thereafter it either turns out to have been true, or it
comes true. This time, I decided to take my plots from the pages of the daily
papers. I took two real-life pedophiles as the models for characters in the
book. And found out later that if you took the first name of one and the surname
of the other, you came up with the name I sued for the bad guy in my first ever
Rebus novel....
James Ellroy called your work
"Tartan Noir"...
I suppose he was right, too. My work's
nowhere near as dark as his, but it's not in the "cozy" tradition
either. A tougher Inspector Wexford maybe. That's Rebus.
Who are your favorite authors?
James Ellroy; Lawrence Block; Ruth Rendell. Novelists
with psychological depth, with 3-D characterizations, writers who challenge
convention and style. So stick Michael Connelly in there, too… and Paco Taibo,
Marc Behm, James Sallis, SJ Rozan….
What would you say is your special flair in writing?
How has your talent changed through the years?
My later books are a lot longer/denser/...
Benjamin Black is the pen name of acclaimed author John Banville, who was born in Wexford, Ireland, in 1945. His novels have won numerous awards, including the Man Booker Prize in 2005 for The Sea. He lives in Dublin. (more)
If you enjoyed:
Resurrection Men
Try:
Christine Falls
by Benjamin Black
Giles Blunt was born in 1952 in Windsor, Ontario, and grew up in North Bay, Ontario. He describes his parents as being "so English that the space on their passports for citizenship could only be filled in 'British... (more)
If you enjoyed:
A Question of Blood
Try:
By the Time You Read This
by Giles Blunt
We recommend 14 similar authors
Discover books that entertain, engage & enlighten. One-year membership: $29
.gif)
The Patron Saint of Pregnant Girls
by Ursula Hegi
Set on a German island in 1878, perfect for fans of Water for Elephants.
Reader Reviews
The author of Orphan Train returns with an ambitious, emotionally resonant historical novel.
About the book
Return to Gilead with Jack, the instant New York Times bestseller
Enter to win Marilynne Robinson's latest novel in her classic series.
Visitors can view some of BookBrowse for free. Full access is for members only.
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
