Ian M. Banks
Iain Menzies Banks (born on February 16, 1954 in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland) writes mainstream novels as Iain Banks and science fiction as Iain M. Banks. Banks studied English and Philosophy at the University of Stirling.
Politics
As with his friend Ken MacLeod (another Scottish writer of technical and social science fiction) a strong awareness of left-wing history shows in his writings. The argument that an economy of abundance renders anarchy viable (or even inevitable) attracts many as an interesting potential experiment, were it ever to become testable.
Miscellany
Banks tends to write a novel in around three months, working solidly, then take nine months off. In his leisure time, he has had flying lessons and records his own rock music.
He has been the subject of a South Bank Show television programme.
He refuses to write magazine articles, reviews and other similar pieces.
As a young man he appeared as an extra in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Bibliography
Mainstream novels
His mainstream novels are:
Science Fiction novels
Much of his science fiction deals with a large pan-galactic civilisation, The Culture, which he describes in intricate detail:
His other, non-Culture, science fiction novels are:
Nonfiction
