Photo: Roger Green / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Ian Rankin is one of those writers whose biography is as gripping as his fiction. The first in his family to reach university, raised in a Fife mining town, he turned the dark corners of Edinburgh into the beating heart of tartan noir through his Inspector Rebus novels. The Edgar, the Gold Dagger, the Diamond Dagger, the OBE: the honors are real, but what I admire is the grit beneath them, the years of odd jobs before the breakthrough. He writes place as character better than almost anyone working in crime fiction. For me he sets the standard for the entire genre.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Ian Rankin
- Name (Japanese)
- イアン・ランキン
- Reading
- いあん・らんきん
- Born
- April 28, 1960 (age 66)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Taurus / Rat
- Origin
- Cardenden, United Kingdom
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- crime fiction writer / novelist / writer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Beath High School
- University
- University of Edinburgh
Awards & achievements
- Officer of the Order of the British Empire
- 2004 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel
- 2005 Cartier Diamond Dagger
- 2016 Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
- 2005 Grand Prix de Littérature Policière
- 1997 Gold Dagger
- 2005 honorary doctorate
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | The Flood | — | |
| Notable work | Knots and Crosses | — | |
| Notable work | Westwind | — | |
| Notable work | Watchman | — | |
| Notable work | Hide and Seek | — | |
| Notable work | Tooth and Nail | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Ian Rankin born?
Born April 28, 1960 (age 66).
Where is Ian Rankin from?
Ian Rankin is from Cardenden, United Kingdom.
What does Ian Rankin do?
Ian Rankin works as crime fiction writer, novelist, writer.
What is Ian Rankin known for?
Notable works include The Flood, Knots and Crosses, Westwind.
Crime fiction writer — see all → · Novelist — see all → · More people from United Kingdom →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-21
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.