All About Scotland

His controversial first novel, The Wasp Factory was published in 1984 and made an immediate impact (it was subsequently hailed as one of the essential books of the '80s). Since then, he has acquired a huge cult following with a succession of works that display the characteristic Banks traits of menace, black humour and biting social commentary.

He is unusual in that he has achieved success in two genres: mainstream, literary fiction and the science fiction books, which he writes under the barely psuedonomous name of Iain M. Banks. His novels have also attracted the attention of film-makers and broadcasters. His 1992 novel, The Crow Road, was successfully adapted by BBC television series, Espedair Street (1987) was produced as a BBC radio series (for which Banks wrote the accompanying music and lyrics), while film versions of Complicity, The Wasp Factory and The Bridge are all in development.