Iain Banks was best known for his novels The Wasp Factory, The Crow Road and Complicity Continue reading the main story Related Stories
Author Iain Banks: In his own words Five Minutes With: Iain M Banks Watch Author Banks has terminal cancer Author Iain Banks has died aged 59, two months after announcing he had terminal cancer, his family has said.
The Scottish writer revealed in April he was suffering from terminal gall bladder cancer and was unlikely to live for more than a year.
He was best known for his novels The Wasp Factory, The Crow Road and Complicity.
In a statement, his publisher said he was "an irreplaceable part of the literary world".
Little, Brown Book Group said the author was "one of the country's best-loved novelists" for both his mainstream and science fiction books.
"Iain Banks' ability to combine the most fertile of imaginations with his own highly distinctive brand of gothic humour made him unique," it said.
After announcing his illness in April, Banks asked his publishers to bring forward the release date of his latest novel, The Quarry, so he could see it on the shelves.
On Sunday, it was revealed the book - to be released on 20 June - would detail the physical and emotional strain of cancer.
It describes the final weeks of the life of a man in his 40s who has terminal cancer.
Speaking to the BBC's Kirsty Wark, Banks said he was some 87,000 words into writing the book when he was diagnosed with his own illness.
"I had no inkling. So it wasn't as though this is a response to the disease or anything, the book had been kind of ready to go," he said.
"And then 10,000 words from the end, as it turned out, I suddenly discovered that I had cancer."
Science fiction
Little, Brown said the author was presented with finished copies of his last novel three weeks ago.
Banks wrote sci-fi titles under the name Iain M Banks Banks' first novel, The Wasp Factory, was published in 1984 and was ranked as one of the best 100 books of the 20th Century in a 1997 poll conducted by book chain Waterstone's and Channel 4.
The writer also penned sci-fi titles under the name Iain M Banks. His most recent book, The Hydrogen Sonata, was released last year.
Fellow Scottish author Ken MacLeod paid tribute to Banks, saying he had "left a large gap in the Scottish literary scene as well as the wider speaking English world".
"He brought a wonderful combination of the dark and the light side of life and he explored them both without flinching," he said.
"He brought the same degree of craft and skill and commitment to his science fiction as he did to his mainstream fiction and he never drew any distinction in terms of his pride in what he was doing."
MacLeod added he had visited Banks on Wednesday, where he was in "good spirits".
"He was concentrating on his plans and projects, and had been hoping to have another couple of months - which was the last prognosis that he had been given," he said.
After announcing his illness, Banks had described being "hugely moved" by the public support for him through his website.
"Still knocked out by the love and the depth of feeling coming from so many people; thank you, all of you," he wrote on Banksophilia last month.
A wonderful writer. Saw the interview a few weeks back when his diagnosis was made public. A shame he didn't get to see the new book "on the shelves", but pleased that his publishers got copies presented to him 3 weeks ago. The topic horribly prophetic. Rest In Peace Mr Banks.
I quite enjoyed Look to Windward, but it was one of the first culture books I read. Of course Use of Weapons is breathtakingly good, and player of games isn't far behind.
Gutted. always eagerly anticipated his next book and am personally sad that will be missing from the future. without knowing him he seemed like one of the good guys.
Very sad. I loved his non-SF stuff. Many a time I was lost in his imagination. The Wasp Factory, The Bridge and Walking on Glass are 3 of my all time favourite books. RIP Iain.
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Iain Banks was best known for his novels The Wasp Factory, The Crow Road and Complicity
Continue reading the main story
Related Stories
Author Iain Banks: In his own words
Five Minutes With: Iain M Banks Watch
Author Banks has terminal cancer
Author Iain Banks has died aged 59, two months after announcing he had terminal cancer, his family has said.
The Scottish writer revealed in April he was suffering from terminal gall bladder cancer and was unlikely to live for more than a year.
He was best known for his novels The Wasp Factory, The Crow Road and Complicity.
In a statement, his publisher said he was "an irreplaceable part of the literary world".
Little, Brown Book Group said the author was "one of the country's best-loved novelists" for both his mainstream and science fiction books.
"Iain Banks' ability to combine the most fertile of imaginations with his own highly distinctive brand of gothic humour made him unique," it said.
After announcing his illness in April, Banks asked his publishers to bring forward the release date of his latest novel, The Quarry, so he could see it on the shelves.
On Sunday, it was revealed the book - to be released on 20 June - would detail the physical and emotional strain of cancer.
It describes the final weeks of the life of a man in his 40s who has terminal cancer.
Speaking to the BBC's Kirsty Wark, Banks said he was some 87,000 words into writing the book when he was diagnosed with his own illness.
"I had no inkling. So it wasn't as though this is a response to the disease or anything, the book had been kind of ready to go," he said.
"And then 10,000 words from the end, as it turned out, I suddenly discovered that I had cancer."
Science fiction
Little, Brown said the author was presented with finished copies of his last novel three weeks ago.
Banks wrote sci-fi titles under the name Iain M Banks
Banks' first novel, The Wasp Factory, was published in 1984 and was ranked as one of the best 100 books of the 20th Century in a 1997 poll conducted by book chain Waterstone's and Channel 4.
The writer also penned sci-fi titles under the name Iain M Banks. His most recent book, The Hydrogen Sonata, was released last year.
Fellow Scottish author Ken MacLeod paid tribute to Banks, saying he had "left a large gap in the Scottish literary scene as well as the wider speaking English world".
"He brought a wonderful combination of the dark and the light side of life and he explored them both without flinching," he said.
"He brought the same degree of craft and skill and commitment to his science fiction as he did to his mainstream fiction and he never drew any distinction in terms of his pride in what he was doing."
MacLeod added he had visited Banks on Wednesday, where he was in "good spirits".
"He was concentrating on his plans and projects, and had been hoping to have another couple of months - which was the last prognosis that he had been given," he said.
After announcing his illness, Banks had described being "hugely moved" by the public support for him through his website.
"Still knocked out by the love and the depth of feeling coming from so many people; thank you, all of you," he wrote on Banksophilia last month.
So RIP to one of my all time favourite authors
I had no idea he had been ill.