TURNING PAGE ON A CULT HERO
Expect fictional copper John Rebus to be brought to life when his creator, best-selling author Ian Rankin, tours Australia for the character’s 30th anniversary
TALK about an exciting chapter in the world of crime author Ian Rankin and his much-loved creation, the tough-as- old-boots copper John Rebus.
Rankin is coming to Australia as part of celebrations that mark 30 years since Rebus was first unleashed on the fictional villains of Edinburgh, and although his tour at this stage does not include a Gold Coast appearance, he will be visiting Brisbane in May.
Hachette Australia publicity head Anna Egelstaff confirmed that for the Bulletin. “I’m afraid I can’t give you exact dates, but he will be in Australia in May touring to Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne,’’ she said.
Rankin and Rebus have developed something of a cult following. The books are peppered with references to the often cold and bleak cityscape of Edinburgh, and the music that has grown up with the Rebus character.
Fans can expect Rankin to unload plenty of recollections, real-life characters and incidents that have provided inspiration over the years for the Rebus stories, and perhaps the origins of other main characters like the arch villain Morris Gerald “Big Ger’’ Cafferty, Rebus’s working partner Detective Siobhan Clarke, and Malcolm Fox, the good guy cop who first appeared in The Complaints.
Readers wanting to go the extra mile to immerse themselves in what is being billed as The Year of Rankin can take in the Brisbane program and then jump on a flight to the other side of the globe, where a festival of literature, music, art and film is being staged in Edinburgh over the weekend of June 30-July 2.
There will be interactive events, live music, walking tours, screenings, talks on the historic and contemporary influences on Rebus, and experts, artists and performers joining the author across the weekend to provide an up-close insight into one of the best-loved characters in modern crime fiction.
“I had no idea when I published Knots And Crosses in 1987 that Rebus would still be sharing his adventures and misadventures with me 30 years later,’’ Rankin says.