Ian Rankin
Ian Rankin
Ian James Rankin, OBE, DL, FRSEis a Scottish crime writer, best known for his Inspector Rebus novels...
NationalityScottish
ProfessionNovelist
Date of Birth28 April 1960
lighting months nine pub
I have him going into a pub and lighting up, and then being told by a barman that he has got only nine months to go before he has to stop.
amoral fan few fiction good heroes life pulp tales urban villains writes
He is a big fan of pulp fiction/American private-eye stories. He writes very tough, amoral tales of urban life with very few good cops, and usually it is the villains who are the heroes of his books. It is a very interesting take.
almost beasts closed crime harvey jack novels sex wrote
Jack Harvey wrote thrillers, which are very different beasts to crime novels: lavish, almost pornographic descriptions of weaponry; sex scenes; world travel. These things were closed to me in the kind of crime novels I was writing.
auction books early failings feeling miserable sign strange
It's a strange feeling to see one's books come up at auction and also, to some extent, a sign of my miserable early failings as an author.
book taken writing
I used to think that: whenever I heard that someone had taken 10 years to write a novel, I'd think it must be a big, serious book. Now I think, 'No - it took you one year to write, and nine years to sit around eating Kit Kats.
growing-up kids thinking
I still think most writers are just kids who refuse to grow up. We're still playing imaginary games, with our imaginary friends.
book dark thinking
A lot of writers, especially crime writers, have an image that we think we're trying to keep up with. You've got to be seen as dark and slightly dangerous. But I'm not like that and I've realised that I don't need to put that on. People will buy the books whether they see a photo of you dressed in black or not.
ocean thinking one-day
You wouldn't think you could kill an ocean, would you? But we'll do it one day. That's how negligent we are.
scotland bores colleagues
[About a tiresome colleague]: He could bore for Scotland.
dad reading home
I took the first James Kelman novel, 'The Bus Conductor Hines', home to my dad. I thought, 'My dad will like this; it's written in Scots.' But my dad said: 'I can't read that.' He was reading James Bond and John le Carre. That was part of what attracted me to crime - the idea of getting a wide audience.
book adventure writing
I don't have many friends. It's not because I'm a misanthrope. It's because I'm reserved. I'm self-contained. I get all my adventures in my head when I'm writing my books.
technology opportunity thinking
I think writers have to be proactive: they've got to use new technology and social media. Yes, it's hard to get noticed by traditional publishers, but there's a great deal of opportunity out there if you've got the right story.
laughter pockets found
It was the laughter of birthdays, of money found in an old pocket.
short-love reading writing
I love short stories - reading and writing them. The best short stories distill all the potency of a novel into a small but heady draught. They are perfect reading material for the bus or train or for a lunchtime break. Everything extraneous has been strained off by the author. The best short stories pack the heft of any novel, yet resonate like poetry.