The literary world and fans of Iain Banks reacted with shock and sadness when the author revealed in April of this year that he was suffering from inoperable cancer and yesterday, just two months after his announcement, the highly distinguished Scottish author passed away.
His first novel, The Wasp Factory, has been highly acclaimed and features regularly on lists compiled by sources such as the BBC, The Guardian and The Times of the best literature. Set in his native, and much loved Fife, The Wasp Factory also debuted Banks’ plot twists and candid style that became not only a trademark of his writing, but also influenced future writers with whom Banks praised publicly and privately before his death.
He will be remembered not only for his award-winning popular fiction and science fiction, but for his sense of humour and spirit of character. A lover of fast cars and malt whiskey, Banks was a well-loved figure in the literary world, and in particular the Scottish literary circles. Having recently married his long-time girlfriend Adele Hartley, his honest and witty personality was seen in asking her to be his ‘widow’ rather than his wife. He was also a loud, and often critical, voice in Scottish and British politics as a keen supporter of Scottish National Independence, something noted in tributes paid to the author including from SNP Party leader Alex Salmond.
Having written 27 fiction titles, the science fiction works written by Banks under the name ‘Iain M. Banks’ were always held in high esteem by the author. He is well known for defending the genre which many have previously declared ‘trash’ or ‘low-brow’ as something where one can ‘really do something’, where the imagination can be used to full effect. For Banks this genre was not something that paid the bills, but something that he placed as equal to his popular fiction works.
Fellow authors and friends have taken to the internet to pay tribute to Banks’ life, featuring anecdotes such as Banks cutting up his passport and sending it to Tony Blair in protest of the 2003 Iraq war before departing on a tour of Australia. Many have also voiced their sadness over his untimely death and the potential works that were still to come from Banks. Neil Gaiman, , set to be released on the 20th June, follows the life of a 40-something man facing terminal cancer – a plot devised before Banks discovered he had cancer himself. The novel, finished shortly before his death, is set to be an honest and provoking account which came to be imbued with Banks’ own reality. It was already eagerly anticipated by Banks’ fans however the unfortunate recent developments are sure to put the acclaimed author’s final novel into a much wider, a friend of Banks’ also wrote on his website. “If you’ve never read any of his books, read one of his books. Then read another. Even the bad ones were good, and the good ones were astonishing.”
In a slightly harrowing twist of fate, Banks’ latest and last novel The Quarry, set to be released on the 20th June, follows the life of a 40-something man facing terminal cancer – a plot devised before Banks discovered he had cancer himself. The novel, finished shortly before his death, is set to be an honest and provoking account which came to be imbued with Banks’ own reality. It was already eagerly anticipated by Banks’ fans however the unfortunate recent developments are sure to put the acclaimed author’s final novel into a much wider, albeit deserved, spotlight.