Ian Rankin
The Scottish novelist who turned the gritty, morally complex streets of Edinburgh into a global stage for his detective John Rebus.
Born 1960 (age 66)·Scottish crime writer·Birthday: April 28·Baby Boomers
Biography
Ian Rankin did not set out to define Scottish crime fiction; he was simply writing about a place he knew. While a postgraduate student in Edinburgh, he created Detective Inspector John Rebus—a cynical, dogged, and deeply flawed cop whose personal turmoil mirrored the city's dark undercurrents. The early Rebus novels were cult hits, but over decades, Rankin's sharp prose and intricate plotting built a readership that spanned the globe. He uses the police procedural not just to unravel mysteries, but to dissect contemporary Scotland—its politics, its social divisions, and its changing identity. Knighted for his services to literature, Rankin has become an institution, with Edinburgh tourism now featuring Rebus-themed walks, a testament to how thoroughly his fiction has infiltrated the reality of the city he calls home.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Ian was born in 1960, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ian Was Born
The biggest hits of 1960
#1 Movie
Swiss Family Robinson
Best Picture
The Apartment
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Ian's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1960Born
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1965Started school
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1973Became a teenager
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Could drive
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1978Could vote
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1981Turned 21
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1990Turned 30
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 40
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 50
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 60
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 66 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Created Inspector John Rebus, one of the world's most popular and enduring fictional detectives, featured in over 20 novels.
- Awarded a knighthood in the 2022 Queen's Birthday Honours for services to literature and charity.
- His novel 'Black & Blue' won the prestigious Gold Dagger award for crime fiction in 1997.
- Has sold over 30 million books worldwide, translated into 36 languages.
Did You Know?
He wrote the first Rebus novel, 'Knots & Crosses', while working on his PhD on the novelist Muriel Spark.
He is a former punk bassist and once played in a band called The Dancing Pigs.
He is a vocal supporter of the Heart of Midlothian football club.
He made a cameo appearance as a bartender in the TV adaptation of his novel 'Strip Jack'.
“"Edinburgh isn't so much a city as a collection of villages that got too big for their boots."”
