Sir Ian James Rankin (born 28 April 1960) is a
Scottish crime writer, best known for his
Inspector Rebus
The ''Inspector Rebus'' books are a series of detective novels by the Scottish author Sir Ian Rankin. The novels, centred on Detective Inspector John Rebus, are mostly based in and around Edinburgh. They are considered an important contrib ...
novels.
Early life
Rankin was born in
Cardenden
Cardenden () is a Scottish town located on the south bank of the River Ore in the parish of Auchterderran, Fife. It is approximately north-west of Kirkcaldy. Cardenden was named in 1848 by the Edinburgh and Northern Railway for its new railway ...
, Fife. His father, James, owned a grocery shop, and his mother, Isobel, worked in a school canteen.
He was educated at
Beath High School,
Cowdenbeath
Cowdenbeath (; sco, Coudenbeith) is a town and burgh in west Fife, Scotland. It is north-east of Dunfermline and north of the capital, Edinburgh. The town grew up around the extensive coalfields of the area and became a police burgh in 189 ...
. His parents were horrified when he then chose to study literature at university, as they had expected him to study for a trade.
[ Encouraged by his English teacher, he persisted and graduated in 1982 from the ]University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
, where he also worked on a doctorate on Muriel Spark
Dame Muriel Sarah Spark (née Camberg; 1 February 1918 – 13 April 2006). was a Scottish novelist, short story writer, poet and essayist.
Life
Muriel Camberg was born in the Bruntsfield area of Edinburgh, the daughter of Bernard Camberg, an ...
but did not complete it. He has taught at the university and retains an involvement with the James Tait Black Memorial Prize
The James Tait Black Memorial Prizes are literary prizes awarded for literature written in the English language. They, along with the Hawthornden Prize, are Britain's oldest literary awards. Based at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, Uni ...
. He lived in Tottenham
Tottenham () is a town in North London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is located in the ceremonial county of Greater London. Tottenham is centred north-northeast of Charing Cross, bordering Edmonton to the north, Waltham ...
, London, for four years and then rural France for six while he developed his career as a novelist. Before becoming a full-time novelist, he worked as a grape picker, swineherd
A swineherd is a person who raises and herds pigs as livestock.
Swineherds in literature
* In the New Testament are mentioned shepherd of pigs, mentioned in the Pig (Gadarene) the story shows Jesus exorcising a demon or demons from a man and a ...
, taxman, alcohol researcher, hi-fi journalist, college secretary and punk musician in a band called the Dancing Pigs.[
]
Career
Rankin did not set out to be a crime writer
True crime is a nonfiction literary, podcast, and film genre in which the author examines an actual crime and details the actions of real people associated with and affected by criminal events.
The crimes most commonly include murder; about 40 per ...
. He thought his first novels, ''Knots and Crosses
''Knots and Crosses'' (also written ''Knots & Crosses'') is a 1987 crime novel by Ian Rankin. It is the first of the Inspector Rebus novels. It was written while Rankin was a postgraduate student at the University of Edinburgh. In the introduc ...
'' and ''Hide and Seek
Hide-and-seek (sometimes known as hide-and-go-seek) is a popular children's game in which at least two players (usually at least three) conceal themselves in a set environment, to be found by one or more seekers. The game is played by one chose ...
'', were mainstream books, more in keeping with the Scottish traditions of Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll a ...
and even Muriel Spark
Dame Muriel Sarah Spark (née Camberg; 1 February 1918 – 13 April 2006). was a Scottish novelist, short story writer, poet and essayist.
Life
Muriel Camberg was born in the Bruntsfield area of Edinburgh, the daughter of Bernard Camberg, an ...
. He was disconcerted by their classification as genre fiction. The Scottish novelist Allan Massie
Allan Johnstone Massie (born 16 October 1938) is a Scottish journalist, columnist, sports writer and novelist. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He has lived in the Scottish Borders for the last 25 years, and now lives in Se ...
, who tutored Rankin while Massie was writer-in-residence at the University of Edinburgh, reassured him by saying, "Do you think John Buchan
John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir (; 26 August 1875 – 11 February 1940) was a Scottish novelist, historian, and Unionist politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the 15th since Canadian Confederation.
After a brief legal career ...
ever worried about whether he was writing literature or not?"
Rankin's Inspector Rebus
The ''Inspector Rebus'' books are a series of detective novels by the Scottish author Sir Ian Rankin. The novels, centred on Detective Inspector John Rebus, are mostly based in and around Edinburgh. They are considered an important contrib ...
novels are set mainly in Edinburgh. They are considered major contributions to the tartan noir genre. Thirteen of the novels—plus one short story— were adapted as a television series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
on ITV, starring John Hannah as Rebus in series 1 and 2 (4 episodes) and Ken Stott
Kenneth Campbell Stott (born 19 October 1954) is a Scottish stage, television and film actor who won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 1995 in the play '' Broken Glass'' at Royal National Theatre. He portrayed th ...
in that role in series 3–5 (10 episodes).
In 2009, Rankin donated the short story "Fieldwork" to Oxfam
Oxfam is a British-founded confederation of 21 independent charitable organizations focusing on the alleviation of global poverty, founded in 1942 and led by Oxfam International.
History
Founded at 17 Broad Street, Oxford, as the Oxford Co ...
's Ox-Tales
Ox-Tales refers to four anthologies of short stories written by 38 of the UK's best-known authors. All donated their stories to Oxfam. The books and stories are loosely based on the four elements: Earth, Fire, Air and Water.
The Ox-Tales books we ...
project, four collections of UK stories written by 38 authors. Rankin's story was published in the ''Earth'' collection.
In 2009 Rankin stated on Radio Five Live
BBC Radio 5 Live is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that broadcasts mainly news, sport, discussion, interviews and phone-ins. It is the principal BBC radio station covering sport in the United Kingdom, broadcast ...
that he would start work on a five- or six-issue run on the comic book ''Hellblazer
''John Constantine, Hellblazer'' is an American contemporary Horror fiction, horror comic-book series published by DC Comics since January 1988, and subsequently by its Vertigo Comics, Vertigo imprint since March 1993, when the imprint was introd ...
'', although he may turn the story into a stand-alone graphic novel
A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...
instead. The Vertigo Comics panel at WonderCon
WonderCon is an annual comic book, science fiction, and film convention held in the San Francisco Bay Area (1987–2011), then—under the name WonderCon Anaheim—in Anaheim, California (2012–2015, 2017–present), and WonderCon Los Angel ...
2009 confirmed that the story would be published as a graphic novel
A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...
, ''Dark Entries
"Dark Entries" is a song by the English gothic rock band Bauhaus, released as a stand-alone single in January 1980 by Axis (an early name for 4AD) and later issued on 4AD and Beggars Banquet. It features the 1944 painting '' Sleeping Venus'' b ...
'', the second release from the company's Vertigo Crime
Vertigo Comics, also known as DC Vertigo or simply Vertigo, was an imprint of American comic book publisher DC Comics started by editor Karen Berger in 1993. Vertigo's purpose was to publish comics with adult content, such as nudity, drug us ...
imprint.
In 2013, Rankin co-wrote the play '' Dark Road'' with Mark Thomson, the artistic director of the Royal Lyceum Theatre
The Royal Lyceum Theatre is a 658-seat theatre in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, named after the Theatre Royal Lyceum and English Opera House, the residence at the time of legendary Shakespearean actor Henry Irving. It was built in 1883 by a ...
. The play, which marked Rankin's play-writing debut, premiered at the Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
, in September 2013.
In 2005, Rankin became the tenth best selling writer in Britain, accounting for 10% of all crime fiction sold. He writes under the pseudonym Jack Harvey as well.
In 2021, Rankin helped finish a draft by William McIlvanney
William McIlvanney (25 November 1936 – 5 December 2015) was a Scottish novelist, short story writer, and poet. He was known as Gus by friends and acquaintances. McIlvanney was a champion of gritty yet poetic literature; his works ''Laidlaw'', ' ...
, a prequel
A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work.
The term " ...
telling the story of an early case of McIlvanney's fictional detective Jack Laidlaw. McIlvanney, whom Rankin admires, had died in 2015 leaving the manuscript unfinished. It was published under the name '' The Dark Remains''.
In 2022, Rankin signed a deal with publisher Orion to write two new John Rebus novels. Later that same year, he received a Knighthood
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...
from HM Queen Elizabeth II for services to literature and charity as part of her Birthday Honours
The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning British monarch's official birthday by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are prese ...
List.
Documentaries
Rankin is a regular contributor to the BBC Two
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
arts programme ''Newsnight Review''. His three-part documentary series on the subject of evil
Evil, in a general sense, is defined as the opposite or absence of good. It can be an extremely broad concept, although in everyday usage it is often more narrowly used to talk about profound wickedness and against common good. It is general ...
was broadcast on Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
in December 2002. In 2005 he presented a 30-minute documentary on BBC Four
BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002 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, Rankin collaborated with folk musician Jackie Leven
Jackie Leven (18 June 1950 – 14 November 2011) was a Scottish songwriter and folk musician. After starting his career as a folk musician in the late 1960s, he first found success with new wave band Doll by Doll. He later recorded as a solo ...
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
Detective Inspector John Rebus is the protagonist in the Inspector Rebus series of detective novels by the Scottish writer Sir Ian Rankin, ten of which have so far been televised as ''Rebus''. The novels are mostly set in and around Edinburgh. ...
. In these, 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
Anthony Michael Bourdain (; June 25, 1956 – June 8, 2018) was an American celebrity chef, author, and travel documentarian who starred in programs focusing on the exploration of international culture, cuisine, and the human condition. Bourdai ...
.
Music
Rankin is the singer in the six-piece band Best Picture, formed by journalists Kenny Farquharson (''The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
'') and Euan McColl (''The Scotsman
''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until August 2004. Its par ...
'') in 2017, and featuring Bobby Bluebell on guitar. They released the single "Isabelle" on Oriel Records
Oriel may refer to:
Places Canada
* Oriel, a community in the municipality of Norwich, Ontario, Canada
Ireland
* Oriel Park, Dundalk, the home ground of Dundalk FC
* Oriel House, Ballincollig, County Cork
* Kingdom of Oriel ('' Airgíalla'' in I ...
in October 2017. They made their live debut at the Kendal Calling
Kendal Calling is a music & arts festival, held annually at Lowther Deer Park in the Lake District, Cumbria in the North West of England. It has grown from a two-day, 900 capacity event in 2006 to a 25,000 capacity 4-day music festival. Kendal C ...
music festival on 28 July 2018.
Personal life
He lives in Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
with his wife, Miranda (''née'' Harvey), whom he met at university and married in 1986, and their two sons: John Morgan "Jack" Harvey-Rankin (born 1992) and Christopher Connor "Kit" Harvey-Rankin (born 1994). He has acknowledged the assistance they get from ''Forward Vision'' in Edinburgh in looking after Kit and other young adults with special needs. They lived for a number of years in the Merchiston
Merchiston ( ) is a residential area around Merchiston Avenue in the south-west of Edinburgh, Scotland.
Location
Merchiston Avenue is 1.3 miles Southwest of the West End of Edinburgh's principal street, Princes Street. Other areas near Merchi ...
/ Morningside area, near the authors J. K. Rowling
Joanne Rowling ( "rolling"; born 31 July 1965), also known by her pen name J. K. Rowling, is a British author and Philanthropy, philanthropist. She wrote ''Harry Potter'', a seven-volume children's fantasy series published from 1997 to ...
, Alexander McCall Smith
Alexander "Sandy" McCall Smith, CBE, FRSE (born 24 August 1948), is a British writer. He was raised in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and formerly Professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh. He became an expert on medical law and ...
and Kate Atkinson Kate Atkinson may refer to:
* Kate Atkinson (actress) (born 1972), Australian actress
* Kate Atkinson (writer)
Kate Atkinson (born 20 December 1951) is an English writer of novels, plays and short stories. She is known for creating the Jac ...
, before moving to a penthouse flat in the former Edinburgh Royal Infirmary
The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, or RIE, often (but incorrectly) known as the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, or ERI, was established in 1729 and is the oldest voluntary hospital in Scotland. The new buildings of 1879 were claimed to be the largest v ...
building in Quartermile
Quartermile is the marketing name given to the mixed use redevelopment of the former Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh site, in Lauriston, Edinburgh. It was master-planned by architect Foster + Partners and takes its name from the fact it is a qua ...
in Lauriston
Lauriston ( )
is an area of central Edinburgh, Scotland, and home to a number of significant historic buildings. It lies south of Edinburgh Castle and the Grassmarket, and north of The Meadows public park.
Lauriston is the former locatio ...
. The couple also own a house in Cromarty
Cromarty (; gd, Cromba, ) is a town, civil parish and former royal burgh in Ross and Cromarty, in the Highland area of Scotland. Situated at the tip of the Black Isle on the southern shore of the mouth of Cromarty Firth, it is seaward from In ...
in the Scottish Highlands
The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Sco ...
. Rankin appears as a character in McCall Smith's 2004 novel, ''44 Scotland Street
''44 Scotland Street'' is an episodic novel by Alexander McCall Smith, the author of ''The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency''. The story was first published as a serial in ''The Scotsman'', starting 26 January 2004, every weekday, for six months. ...
''.
In 2011 a group of ten book sculptures were deposited around Edinburgh as gifts to cultural institutions and the people of the city. Many of the sculptures made reference to the work of Rankin, and an eleventh sculpture was a personal gift to him.
In 2019, Rankin donated his personal archives to the National Library of Scotland
The National Library of Scotland (NLS) ( gd, Leabharlann Nàiseanta na h-Alba, sco, Naitional Leebrar o Scotland) is the legal deposit library of Scotland and is one of the country's National Collections. As one of the largest libraries in the ...
after moving to his flat in the Quartermile. The Library planned an exhibition for 2021 of highlights from the archive, which includes research notes, newspaper clippings and manuscripts.
Rankin has donated a considerable portion of his earnings to charity. In 2007, he and his wife set up a trust to support charities in the fields of health, art and education. In 2020, it was reported that he had donated around £1 million to the trust in the previous five years, with £200,000 being donated in 2019. In 2022, he donated rare first editions of three of his early works, valued at a total of £1,850, to a book sale in aid of Christian Aid
Christian Aid is the relief and development agency of 41 Christian (Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox) churches in the UK and Ireland, and works to support sustainable development, eradicate poverty, support civil society and provide disaster ...
.
Honours and awards
Rankin was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(OBE) in 2002 for services to literature and knighted
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...
in the 2022 Birthday Honours
The 2022 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as par ...
for services to literature and charity.
*1988 Elected Hawthornden Fellow
*1991 Chandler-Fulbright
The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...
Award
*1994 CWA
CWA or Cwa may refer to:
Organisations
* CWA Constructions, a Swiss manufacturer of gondolas and people mover cabins, a division of Doppelmayr Garaventa Group
* Catch Wrestling Association, a former German professional wrestling promotion
* Contin ...
Short Story Dagger for ''A Deep Hole''
*1996 CWA
CWA or Cwa may refer to:
Organisations
* CWA Constructions, a Swiss manufacturer of gondolas and people mover cabins, a division of Doppelmayr Garaventa Group
* Catch Wrestling Association, a former German professional wrestling promotion
* Contin ...
Short Story Dagger for ''Herbert in Motion'' in ''Perfectly Criminal''
*1997 CWA
CWA or Cwa may refer to:
Organisations
* CWA Constructions, a Swiss manufacturer of gondolas and people mover cabins, a division of Doppelmayr Garaventa Group
* Catch Wrestling Association, a former German professional wrestling promotion
* Contin ...
Gold Dagger for Fiction for ''Black and Blue''
*1997 Edgar Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...
for best novel, shortlist, ''Black and Blue''
*1999 University of Abertay Dundee
, mottoeng = "Blessed is the one who finds wisdom."
, established = 1994 – granted University Status 1888 – Dundee Institute of Technology
, type = Public
, chancellor = Alice Brown
, principal = Liz Bacon
, head_label = Chair of Co ...
honorary doctorate
*2000 University of St Andrews
(Aien aristeuein)
, motto_lang = grc
, mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best
, established =
, type = Public research university
Ancient university
, endowment ...
honorary doctorate
*2000 Palle Rosencrantz Prize (Denmark)
*2003 University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
honorary doctorate
*2003 Whodunnit Prize (Finland)
*2003 Grand Prix du Roman Noir (France)
*2004 Edgar Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...
for ''Resurrection Men''
*2005 CWA
CWA or Cwa may refer to:
Organisations
* CWA Constructions, a Swiss manufacturer of gondolas and people mover cabins, a division of Doppelmayr Garaventa Group
* Catch Wrestling Association, a former German professional wrestling promotion
* Contin ...
Lifetime Achievement Award (Cartier Diamond Dagger)''
*2005 Open University
The Open University (OU) is a British public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate students are based in the United Kingdom and principally study off- ...
honorary doctorate
*2005 Grand Prix de Littérature Policière The Grand Prix de Littérature Policière (or the Police Literature Grand Prize) is a French literary prize founded in 1948 by author and literary critic Maurice-Bernard Endrèbe. It is the most prestigious award for crime and detective fiction in ...
(France) for ''Set in Darkness''''[Guide des Prix littéraires]
online ed. ''Le Rayon du Polar''. Synopsis of French prizes rewarding French and international crime literature, with lists of laureates for each Prize. Grand Prix de littérature policière: pp. 18-36.
*2005 Deutsche Krimi Prize (Germany), for ''Resurrection Men''
*2006 University of Hull
The University of Hull is a public research university in Kingston upon Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1927 as University College Hull. The main university campus is located in Hull and is home to the Hull ...
honorary doctorate
*2007 The Edinburgh Award
*2008 ITV3
ITV3 is a British free-to-air television channel owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc. The channel was first launched on Monday 1 November 2004 at 9pm, replacing Plus (Granada). ITV3 is the sixth-largest UK television channel by ...
Crime Thriller Award for Author of the Year, for ''Exit Music''.
*2009 Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award
The Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award is one of the UK's top crime-fiction awards, sponsored by Theakston's Old Peculier. It is awarded annually at Harrogate
Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of ...
, shortlisted ''Exit Music''
*2012 Specsavers National Book Award, Outstanding Achievement
*2015 Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...
*2016 UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
City of Literature Visiting Professor
In academia, a visiting scholar, visiting researcher, visiting fellow, visiting lecturer, or visiting professor is a scholar from an institution who visits a host university to teach, lecture, or perform research on a topic for which the visitor ...
at University of East Anglia
The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution f ...
*2016 RBA Prize for Crime Writing RBA Prize for Crime Writing (Spanish: ''Premio RBA de Novela Policiaca'') was a Spanish literary award said to be the world's most lucrative crime fiction prize at €125,000. It is funded by Barcelona-based multimedia publishing company .
Winners ...
for Even Dogs in the Wild
''Even Dogs in the Wild'' is the twentieth instalment in the bestselling Inspector Rebus series of crime novels, published in 2015. The novel takes its name from the song of the same name by the Scottish band The Associates from their album ''Th ...
, the world's most lucrative crime fiction prize, at €125,000
*2016 Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820, by George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV, to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, th ...
Bibliography
To date, Rankin has published 25 novels, two short story collections, one original graphic novel and one novella, and a non-fiction book. He has also written a Quick Reads ''Quick Reads'' are a series of short books by bestselling authors and celebrities. With no more than 128 pages, they are designed to encourage adults who do not read often, or find reading difficult, to discover the joy of books.
Quick Reads are a ...
title.
Other publications
Edited anthology
* ''Criminal Minded'' (2000) (edited and with an introduction by Rankin)
Recordings
* ''Jackie Leven Said'' (Cooking vinyl, 2005), with Jackie Leven
Jackie Leven (18 June 1950 – 14 November 2011) was a Scottish songwriter and folk musician. After starting his career as a folk musician in the late 1960s, he first found success with new wave band Doll by Doll. He later recorded as a solo ...
* ''The Sixth Stone'' (CD, 2007), with Aidan Moffat
Aidan John Moffat (born 10 April 1973) is a Scottish vocalist and musician, and member of the band Arab Strap.
Early life
Moffat was born and raised in Falkirk, Scotland. The first album he bought was ''Elvis Sings for Kids'' by Elvis Presley ...
, on '' Ballads of the Book''
* ''This Has Been the Death of Us'' (7th Realm Of Teenage Heaven, 2009), with Saint Jude's Infirmary
* ''The Third Gentleman'' (BBC Broadcast, 25 October 1997. 87mins). Black comedy set in 1790s Edinburgh.
* ''The Deathwatch Journal'' (Audiobook / BBC Broadcast, 2017. 75mins). Read by Jimmy Chisholm.
Graphic novels
*'' Dark Entries
"Dark Entries" is a song by the English gothic rock band Bauhaus, released as a stand-alone single in January 1980 by Axis (an early name for 4AD) and later issued on 4AD and Beggars Banquet. It features the 1944 painting '' Sleeping Venus'' b ...
'' (September 2009) with art by Werther Dell'Edera. Published by Vertigo Crime
Vertigo Comics, also known as DC Vertigo or simply Vertigo, was an imprint of American comic book publisher DC Comics started by editor Karen Berger in 1993. Vertigo's purpose was to publish comics with adult content, such as nudity, drug us ...
and starring John Constantine
John Constantine () is a fictional character who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Constantine first appeared in ''Swamp Thing'' #37 (June 1985), and was created by Alan Moore, Stephen R. Bissette, Rick Veitch, and John ...
of ''Hellblazer
''John Constantine, Hellblazer'' is an American contemporary Horror fiction, horror comic-book series published by DC Comics since January 1988, and subsequently by its Vertigo Comics, Vertigo imprint since March 1993, when the imprint was introd ...
''.
Graphic novella
* ''The Lie Factory'', illustrated by Tim Truman. Published as part of a CD package, ''Kickback City'', featuring Rory Gallagher
William Rory Gallagher ( ; 2 March 1948 – 14 June 1995) was an Irish guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer. Due to his virtuosic playing, but relative lack of fame compared to some others, he has been referred to as "the greatest ...
songs fictionalized in the novella and with narration by Aidan Quinn
Aidan Quinn (born March 8, 1959) is an American actor who made his film debut in '' Reckless'' (1984). He has starred in over 80 feature films, including ''Desperately Seeking Susan'' (1985), '' The Mission'' (1986), ''Stakeout'' (1987), ''Aval ...
.
Opera
* ''Gesualdo'', with Craig Armstrong (2008)
Short stories
* "Summer Rites" (1984) (published in ''Cencrastus'', No. 18 - actually a section of Rankin's first novel)
"An Afternoon"
(1984) (published in '' New Writing Scotland No. 2'') (slightly revised version published in ''OxCrimes'', 2014)
* "Voyeurism" (1985) (published in ''New Writing Scotland No. 3'')
* "Colony" (1986) (published in ''New Writing Scotland No. 4'')
* "Scarab" (1986) (published in ''Scottish Short Stories 1986'')
* "Territory" (1987) (published in ''Scottish Short Stories 1987'')
* "Remembrance" (1988) (published in ''Cencrastus'', Spring)
* "Playback" (1990) (Rebus; published in Winter's Crime 22; reprinted in ''A Good Hanging & Other Stories'', 1992)
* "Talk Show" (1991) (Rebus; published in ''Winter's Crimes'' 23)
* "The Dean Curse" (1992) (Rebus; published in ''A Good Hanging & Other Stories'')
* "Being Frank" (1992) (Rebus; published in ''A Good Hanging & Other Stories'')
* "Concrete Evidence" (1992) (Rebus; published in ''A Good Hanging & Other Stories'')
* "Seeing Things" (1992) (Rebus; published in ''A Good Hanging & Other Stories'')
* "A Good Hanging" (1992) (Rebus; published in ''A Good Hanging & Other Stories'')
* "Tit for Tat" (1992) (Rebus; published in ''A Good Hanging & Other Stories'')
* "Not Provan" (1992) (Rebus; published in ''A Good Hanging & Other Stories'')
* "Sunday" (1992) (Rebus; published in ''A Good Hanging & Other Stories'')
* "Auld Lang Syne" (1992) (Rebus; published in ''A Good Hanging & Other Stories'')
* "The Gentlemen's Club" (1992) (Rebus; published in ''A Good Hanging & Other Stories'')
* "Monstrous Trumpet" (1992) (Rebus; published in ''A Good Hanging & Other Stories'')
* "In the Frame" (1992) (Rebus; published in ''Winter's Crimes'' 24)
* "Trip Trap" (1992) (Rebus; published in ''1st Culprit'')
* "Marked for Death" (1992) (published in ''Constable New Crimes'' 1)
* "Well Shot" (1993) (Rebus; published in ''2nd Culprit''; not included in the UK and US editions of ''The Beat Goes On: The Complete Rebus Stories'')
* "Video, Nasty" (1993) (published in ''Constable New Crimes 2'')
* "Castle Dangerous" (1993) (Rebus; published in ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine
''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'' is a bi-monthly American digest size fiction magazine specializing in crime fiction, particularly detective fiction, and mystery fiction. Launched in fall 1941 by Mercury Press, ''EQMM'' is named after the fict ...
'', ''EQMM'', October)
* "Someone Got to Eddie" (1994) (published in ''3rd Culprit'')
* "Facing the Music" (1994) (Rebus; published in ''Midwinter Mysteries'' 4)
* "A Deep Hole" (1994) (published in ''London Noir'')
* "The Serpent's Back" (1995) (published in ''Midwinter Mysteries'' 5)
* "Adventures in Babysitting" (1995) (published in ''No Alibi'' and in ''Master's Choice Two'')
* "Principles of Accounts" (1995) (published in ''EQMM'', August)
* "Window of Opportunity" (1995) (Rebus, published in ''EQMM'', December)
* "Natural Selection" (1996) (published in ''Fresh Blood'')
* "Herbert in Motion" (1996) (published in ''Perfectly Criminal'')
* "The Wider Scheme" (1996) (published in ''EQMM'', August)
* "My Shopping Day" (1997) (Rebus; published in ''Herbert in Motion & Other Stories'' imited edition chapbook of 200 copies not included in the UK edition of ''The Beat Goes On: The Complete Rebus Stories'', but included in the U.S. edition)
* "No. 79" (1997) (published in Herbert in Motion & Other Stories)
* "Glimmer" (1998) (published in ''Blue Lightning'')
* "Unknown Pleasures" (1998) (published in ''Mean Time'')
* "Detective Novels: The Pact Between Authors and Readers" (1998) (article; published in ''The Writer'', December)
* "Death is Not the End" (1998) (novella later expanded into ''Dead Souls'')
* "The Missing" (1999) (published in ''Crime Wave'', March)
* "Get Shortie" (1999) (Rebus; published in ''Crime Wave 2, Deepest Red'', June; not included in the UK and US editions of ''The Beat Goes On: The Complete Rebus Stories'')
* "The Acid Test" (1999) (Rebus; published in ''EQMM'', August; not included in the UK and US editions of ''The Beat Goes On: The Complete Rebus Stories'')
* "The Hanged Man" (1999) (published in ''Something Wicked'' (UK) and ''EQMM'', September/October)
* "The Only True Comedian" (2000) (published in ''EQMM'', February)
* "Unlucky in Love, Unlucky at Cards" (2000) (published in ''EQMM'', March)
* "The Confession" (2000) (published in ''EQMM'', June)
* "The Slab Boys" (2000) (published in ''Scenes of Crime'')
* "No Sanity Clause" (2000) (Rebus; originally titled "Father Christmas's Revenge, published in ''The Daily Telegraph'', December)
* "Tell Me Who to Kill" (2003) (Rebus; published in ''Mysterious Pleasures'')
* "Saint Nicked" (2003/2004) (Rebus; published in ''The Radio Times'', 21 December 2003 & 4 January 2004)
* "Soft Spot" (2005) (published in ''Dangerous Women'')
* "Showtime" (2005) (published in ''One City'')
* "Not Just another Saturday" (August 2005) (Rebus; written for SNIP, a charity organisation; people in attendance of the event were provided with a "typescript" of the story)
* "Atonement" (2005) (Rebus; written for the anthology ''Complete Short Stories'', which combined the contents of ''A Good Hanging & Other Stories'' and ''Beggar's Banquet'', but was far from "Complete")
* "Sinner: justified" (2006) (published in ''Superhumanatural'')
* "Graduation Day" (2006) (published in ''Murder in the Rough'')
* "Fieldwork" (2009) (published in Ox-Tales
Ox-Tales refers to four anthologies of short stories written by 38 of the UK's best-known authors. All donated their stories to Oxfam. The books and stories are loosely based on the four elements: Earth, Fire, Air and Water.
The Ox-Tales books we ...
)
* "Penalty Clause" (2010) (Rebus; published in ''Mail on Sunday'', December)
* "The Very Last Drop" (2013) (Rebus; written to read aloud at an Edinburgh charity event to help the work of Royal Blind; published in the US and UK editions of ''The Beat Goes On: The Complete Rebus Stories'')
* "Dead and Buried" (2013) (Rebus; published with ''Saints of the Shadow Bible'')
* "In the Nick of Time" (2014) (Rebus; published in ''Face Off'')
* "The Passenger" (2014) (Rebus; published in the UK and US editions of ''The Beat Goes On: The Complete Rebus Stories'')
* "A Three-Pint Problem" (2014) (Rebus; published in the UK and US editions of ''The Beat Goes On: The Complete Rebus Stories'')
* "Cinders" (2015) (Rebus; published in the US edition of ''The Beat Goes On: The Complete Rebus Stories'')
* "The Travelling Companion" (2015) (novella, published by the Mysterious Bookshop, NYC; signed, lettered limited cloth edition of 26 copies and 100 numbered copies; softcover edition of 1,000 copies; published in the UK in 2016 by Head of Zeus Ltd, London)
* "Meet & Greet" (2015) (published in ''The Strand'' XLVI)
* "The Kill Fee" (2015) (published in ''The New Statesman'' December 18, 2015—January 8, 2016)
* "Cafferty's Day" (2016) (Rebus; published with ''Rather be the Devil'')
* "Charades" (2017) (Rebus; published in ''Country Life'' December 13/20)
Other
* "Oxford Bar" (2007) (Essay published in the anthology ''How I Write: The Secret Lives of Authors'')
* "John Rebus" (2007) (''Mysterious Profile #8'', a chapbook published by The Mysterious Bookshop in NYC in a signed limited hardcover edition of 100 copies and 1,000 softcover copies; reprinted in the UK edition of ''The Beat Goes On: The Complete Rebus Stories'' as "Rankin on Rebus")
* Ian Rankin interviews Arthur Conan Doyle (2013), published in ''Dead Interviews''
* William McIlvanney
William McIlvanney (25 November 1936 – 5 December 2015) was a Scottish novelist, short story writer, and poet. He was known as Gus by friends and acquaintances. McIlvanney was a champion of gritty yet poetic literature; his works ''Laidlaw'', ' ...
's final novel, '' The Dark Remains'', based on a manuscript McIlvanney left when he died in 2015, was completed by Ian Rankin and released in September 2021.
Criticism
*Alegre, Sara Martin,"Aging in F(r)iendship: 'Big Ger' Cafferty and John Rebus," in ''Clues: A Journal of Detection'' 29.2 (2011): 73–82.
*Horsley, Lee, ''The Noir Thriller'' (Houndmills & New York: Palgrave, 2001).
*Lanchester, John, "Rebusworld", in ''London Review of Books'' 22.9 (27 April 2000), pp. 18–20.
* Lennard, John, "Ian Rankin", in Jay Parini, ed., ''British Writers Supplement X'' (New York & London: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2004), pp. 243–60
*MacDonald, Erin E., "Ghosts and Skeletons: Metaphors of Guilty History in Ian Rankin's Rebus Series", in ''Clues: A Journal of Detection'' 30.2 (2012): 67–75.
*MacDonald, Erin E., ''Ian Rankin: A Companion to the Mystery Fiction'' (Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2020).
*Mandel, Ernest, ''Delightful Murder: A Social History of the Crime Story'' (Leichhardt, NSW, & London: Pluto Press, 1984).
*Marshall, Rodney, ''Blurred Boundaries: Rankin's Rebus'' (Amazon, 2012)
* Nicol, Christopher, "Ian Rankin's 'Black & Blue'", Scotnote No.24 (Glasgow: ASLS Publications, 2008)
*Ogle, Tina, "Crime on Screen", in ''The Observer'' (London), 16 April 2000, Screen p. 8.
*Plain, Gill, ''Ian Rankin’s Black and Blue'' (London & New York: Continuum, 2002)
*Plain, Gillian, "Ian Rankin: A Bibliography", in ''Crime Time'' 28 (2002), pp. 16–20.
*Robinson, David, "Mystery Man: In Search of the real Ian Rankin", in ''The Scotsman'' 10 March 2001, S2Weekend, pp. 1–4.
*Rowland, Susan, "Gothic Crimes: A Literature of Terror and Horror", in ''From Agatha Christie to Ruth Rendell'' (Houndmills & New York: Palgrave, 2001), pp. 110–34.
References
External links
*
*
Guardian Books profile
with links to further articles
Ian Rankin at Edinburgh Central Library, Oct 2010
(video interview in several parts)
CNN interview with Ian Rankin
2011 radio interview
at The Bat Segundo Show
''The Bat Segundo Show'' was a podcast based in New York City run by writer and literary critic Edward Champion between 2004 and 2012. It was revived in mid-2013.
The program features comprehensive interviews with prominent figures in arts and ...
(1 hour)
Two BooksfromScotland.com interviews with Ian Rankin
Radio Interview on RadioNZ's Nine to Noon Show 26 February 2013
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rankin, Ian
1960 births
Living people
People from Cardenden
People associated with Edinburgh
Scottish comics writers
Scottish crime fiction writers
Scottish mystery writers
Scottish novelists
Edgar Award winners
Cartier Diamond Dagger winners
Members of the Detection Club
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
Academics of the University of Edinburgh
Officers of the Order of the British Empire
Deputy Lieutenants of Edinburgh
People educated at Beath High School
20th-century Scottish novelists
Scottish male novelists
21st-century Scottish novelists
Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature
20th-century British male writers
21st-century British male writers
Tartan Noir writers
Knights Bachelor
Fulbright alumni