In conversation with... Ian Rankin

Dirty, divorced and often depressed. A stereotypical Scottish hardman, externally fierce and gruff, seeks willing companion for decades long bout of heavy drinking, detective work and self-destructive behaviour. Unwilling to make an effort.

Detective Inspector John Rebus does not make a good personal ad.

Yet, for the last 20 years, Ian Rankin has carried Rebus with him - in this work, in his heart and always, always on his mind. Is it any wonder that after spending 17 books in conversation with the Strawman of Edinburgh, a break-up would eventually have to come?

But a break can bring a lot of things. When Inspector Rebus was forced into retirement two years ago, there were fears that freed from the trials of the no-nonsense cop, the creator would find greener and happier pastures to roam in. Nothing could be further from the truth.

In  2010, I spoke with Scottish writer Ian Rankin about the recent retirement of literary muse, John Rebus. Perhaps the most interesting part of the interview however was when Rankin talked about the place of crime fiction in the broader world of literature and the subtle work that writers like Ian McEwan, John Bandville [as Benjamin Black] and himself were doing to make crime fiction and literary fiction one and the same. 

 

Click HERE to read this interview in full as well as other interviews with Ann Enright, John Arden, Kevin Barry, Colm Tóibin, Julian Gough, Donal Ryan, Colin Barrett, Catherine O'Flynn and Danielle McLaughlin.

In conversation with ... Danielle McLaughlin

It took an sudden illness to divert Danielle McLaughlin away from a career in the law and toward creative writing and the short story. It was a change work making however, as in a few short years she has become one of rising stars of the short story - not just in Ireland but throughout the English speaking world. Andrew Hamilton find out more.

Danielle McLaughlin is the new It-Girl of the Irish short story. She has emerged as if from nowhere, and in a relatively short period of time has produced a body of work worthy of publications she has graced and the many awards she has won.

Usually, behind every literary rags-to-riches story, there lies an untold tale of a decades worth of unseen labour. Danielle however, served her literary apprenticeship as a solicitor, learning about the language from the surprisingly creative vantage of the legal profession. 

"Books were always part of life, I was always a big reader. Books were always there but writing was a more recent development. I'm not sure why this happened for me now and not earlier. I would have tried, I attempted stories at different times over the years but it never took off. I didn't have the same obsession to write that I do now. I am totally in to writing these days - it is a really big part of my life," she says.

"I think, maybe, it has something to do with the fact that I was practicing as a solicitor for a long time and I find the two jobs quite similar. I found law to be a very creative profession - it was giving me the drama, it was giving me the stories and it was giving me the working with language In great detail.

Click HERE to read this interview in full.