 |
Iain BanksScottish writer
Date of Birth: 16.02.1954
Country:  Great Britain |
Content:
Biography of Iain Banks
Iain Banks, a Scottish writer who published fiction under the name Iain Banks and science fiction novels under the name Iain M. Banks, was born on February 16, 1954, in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland. He was the only child of a professional figure skater mother and a naval officer father. Due to his father's service, the family frequently moved.
At the age of 11, Iain decided to become a writer and completed his first novel, "The Hungarian Lift-Jet," by the time he was 16. After finishing school, he studied English, philosophy, and psychology at the University of Stirling, graduating in 1975.
Following the success of his novel "The Wasp Factory," Banks dedicated himself fully to writing. His publisher, James Hale, advised the young author to write one book per year, and Banks mostly followed this advice. He wrote a total of 26 novels, with "The Quarry" being his 27th and final work.
Final Days
Iain Banks passed away on June 9, 2013, at the age of 59. Just a few days earlier, the renowned writer lost his battle with cancer, only weeks after marrying his longtime partner and a few days before the release of his final novel. Banks, the author of "The Wasp Factory," "The Bridge," and "A Song of Stone," shocked his numerous fans in April of that year when he revealed that he was dying from terminal gall bladder cancer and likely had less than a year to live.
With his characteristic dark humor, Banks stated that he was "officially very poorly" and had asked Adele Hartley, a 42-year-old writer, to "do him the honor of becoming his widow." They married on Easter in a secular ceremony in Scotland and spent their short honeymoon in Venice and Paris. Since then, Adele jokingly referred to herself as the "chief future widow."
After her husband's death, Adele made a statement on Banks' website, announcing that "Iain died early this morning. His death was calm and without pain." Banks passed away just three weeks after the release of his final book, "The Quarry," which portrays the physical and emotional strain of a man in the terminal stages of cancer, cared for by his teenage son. In the book, the protagonist faces difficulties such as using a walker and rejecting alternative treatments.
In a statement, his publishers, Little, Brown and Company, described him as an "irreplaceable part of the literary world" and "one of the nation's favorite authors." Banks had revealed his terminal gall bladder cancer diagnosis a month prior on his blog, expressing his high regard for the professionalism of the healthcare service. He mentioned that chemotherapy could extend his life by a few months but still opted out of all scheduled public appearances to spend his remaining time with loved ones.
Before his death, Banks decided to write thank-you letters to his favorite writers, expressing his appreciation for their work. In 2008, The Times newspaper included his name in the list of "50 Greatest British Writers."
