| Ian Rankin | |
|---|---|
| Born | 28 April 1960 Fife, Scotland |
| Pen name | Jack Harvey |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Nationality | British |
| Period | 1984–present |
| Genres | Crime fiction |
| Notable work(s) | Inspector Rebus Dark Entries |
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www.ianrankin.net |
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Ian Rankin, OBE, DL (born 28 April 1960 in Cardenden, Fife), is a Scottish crime writer. His best known books are the Inspector Rebus novels. He has also written several pieces of literary criticism.
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He attended Beath High School, Cowdenbeath. After graduating from the University of Edinburgh, he moved to Tottenham, London[1] for four years and then rural France for six while he developed his career as a novelist. He was a Literature tutor at the University of Edinburgh, where he retains an involvement with the James Tait Black Memorial Prize.
The 'standard biography' of Rankin, a Scot, states that before becoming a full-time novelist he worked as a grape-picker, swineherd, taxman, alcohol researcher, hi-fi journalist, college secretary and punk musician.[2][3]
He lives in Edinburgh with his wife Miranda and their two sons Jack and Kit.
Rankin did not set out to be a crime writer. He thought his first novels Knots and Crosses and Hide and Seek were mainstream books, more in keeping with the Scottish traditions of Robert Louis Stevenson and even Muriel Spark (the subject of Rankin's uncompleted Ph.D. thesis). He was disconcerted by their classification as genre fiction. Scottish novelist Allan Massie, who tutored Rankin while Massie was writer-in-residence at the University of Edinburgh, reassured him by saying, who would want to be a dry academic writer when "they could be John Buchan?"
Rankin's Inspector Rebus novels are set mainly in Edinburgh. They are considered major contributions to the Tartan Noir genre. Ten of the novels were adapted as a television series on ITV, starring John Hannah as Rebus in Series 1 & 2, with Ken Stott taking on the role for Series 3-5.
In 2009, Rankin donated the short story "Fieldwork" to Oxfam's Ox-Tales project, four collections of UK stories written by 38 authors. Rankin's story was published in the Earth collection.[4]
In 2009 Rankin stated on Radio Five Live that he would start work on a five- or six-issue run on the comic book Hellblazer, although he may turn the story into a stand-alone graphic novel instead. The Vertigo Comics panel at WonderCon 2009 confirmed that the story would be published as a graphic novel called Dark Entries, the second release from the company's new Vertigo Crime imprint.[5][6][7]
In 2007, Rankin was criticised for saying, "the people writing the most graphic violence today are women. They are mostly lesbians as well, which I find interesting".[8]
He is a regular contributor to the BBC Two arts programme Newsnight Review. His 3-part documentary series on the subject of evil was broadcast on Channel 4 in December 2002. In 2005 he presented a 30-minute documentary on BBC Four called Rankin on the Staircase, in which he investigated the relationship between real-life cases and crime fiction. It was loosely based on the Michael Peterson murder case, as covered in Jean-Xavier Lestrade's documentary series Death on the Staircase. The same year he collaborated with folk musician Jackie Leven on the album Jackie Leven Said.
In 2007, Rankin appeared in programmes for BBC Four exploring the origins of his alter-ego character, John Rebus. Titled "Ian Rankin's Hidden Edinburgh" and "Ian Rankin Investigates Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde," Rankin looks at the origins of the character and the events that led to his creation.
In the TV show Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, he takes a trip through Edinburgh with writer/cook Anthony Bourdain.
He has honorary doctorates from the University of Edinburgh,[10] the University of Abertay Dundee, the University of St Andrews and, in 2005, from the University of Hull.
Rankin's novel Exit Music was shortlisted for Theakston’s Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the Year Award 2009.[11]
To date he has written at least 25 novels, 2 short story collections, 1 Original Graphic Novel and 1 non-fiction book. He has also written an entry into Quick Reads 2009:
| Year | Novel | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | The Flood | |
| 1987 | Knots and Crosses | 1st Inspector Rebus novel |
| 1988 | Watchman | |
| 1990 | Westwind | |
| 1991 | Hide and Seek | 2nd Inspector Rebus novel |
| 1992 | Tooth and Nail | 3rd Inspector Rebus novel |
| Strip Jack | 4th Inspector Rebus novel | |
| A Good Hanging and Other Stories | Short Stories | |
| 1993 | Witch Hunt | Writing as Jack Harvey |
| The Black Book | 5th Inspector Rebus novel | |
| 1994 | Bleeding Hearts | Writing as Jack Harvey |
| Mortal Causes | 6th Inspector Rebus novel | |
| 1995 | Blood Hunt | Writing as Jack Harvey |
| Let it Bleed | 7th Inspector Rebus novel | |
| 1997 | Black and Blue | 8th Inspector Rebus novel won Macallan Gold Dagger for Fiction |
| 1998 | The Hanging Garden | 9th Inspector Rebus novel |
| 1999 | Dead Souls | 10th Inspector Rebus novel |
| 2000 | Set in Darkness | 11th Inspector Rebus novel |
| 2001 | The Falls | 12th Inspector Rebus novel |
| 2002 | Resurrection Men | 13th Inspector Rebus novel won The Edgar Award |
| Beggars Banquet | Short Stories | |
| 2003 | A Question of Blood | 14th Inspector Rebus novel |
| 2004 | Fleshmarket Close | 15th Inspector Rebus novel |
| 2005 | Rebus's Scotland: A Personal Journey | Non-Fiction Awarded CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger |
| 2006 | The Naming of the Dead | 16th Inspector Rebus novel |
| 2007 | Exit Music | 17th & final Inspector Rebus novel won ITV3 Crime Thriller Award |
| 2008 | Doors Open | |
| 2009 | A Cool Head | Quick Reads 2009 |
| The Complaints | 1st Malcolm Fox novel | |
| Dark Entries | Vertigo Crime featuring John Constantine | |
| 2011 | The Impossible Dead | 2nd Malcolm Fox novel [12] |
Recordings
Graphic novels
Short stories