Iain Banks
Iain Banks
Iain Bankswas a Scottish author. He wrote mainstream fiction under the name Iain Banks and science fiction as Iain M. Banks, including the initial of his adopted middle name Menzies...
NationalityScottish
ProfessionNovelist
Date of Birth16 February 1954
strong stupid people
All our lives are symbols. Everything we do is part of a pattern we have at least some say in. The strong make their own patterns and influence other people's, the weak have their courses mapped out for them. The weak and the unlucky, and the stupid.
book usual film
By the usual reckoning, the worst books make the best films.
atheist cancer thinking
I just took [my cancer diagnosis] as bad luck, basically. It did strike me almost immediately, my atheist sort of thing kicked in and I thought "ha, if I was a God-botherer, I'd be thinking, why me God? What have I done to deserve this?" and I thought at least I'm free of that, at least I can simply treat it as bad luck and get on with it.
important fiction revolution
My point has always been that, ever since the Industrial Revolution, science fiction has been the most important genre there is.
simple expression comfort
There has seldom if ever a shortage of eager young males prepared to kill and die to preserve the security, comfort and prejudices of their elders, and what you call heroism is just an expression of this simple fact; there is never a scarcity of idiots.
research drink malt
After doing extensive research, I can definitely tell you that single malt whiskies are good to drink.
writing cost want
I love writing and can't imagine not being able to do it. I want an easy life and if it had been difficult I wouldn't be doing it. I do admire writers who do it even though it costs them.
mean cynical speak
They speak very well of you". - "They speak very well of everybody." - "That so bad?" - "Yes. It means you can´t trust them.
hands voice trying
-"Then what," Lededje asked, trying to keep her voice cold and not get caught up in the avatar´s obvious enthusiasm, "is making you smile about a disaster?" -"Well, first, I didn´t cause it! Nothing to do with me, hands clean. Always a bonus.
reading animal smell
Smell is a very animal thing, almost reptilian, where the more cerebral things like reading less so.
writing thinking stories
I just come up with the stories and write them as well as I can. There's not really a great deal of strokey-beard thinking going on.
book self air
Dead Air' is full of rants; it's a rant-based book. Yes, it's self-indulgence. I plead guilty; mea culpa.
reading culture fiction
A lot of what the 'Culture' is about is a reaction to all the science fiction I was reading in my very early teens.
book character
I wouldn't like to be a character in one of my books!