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Robert Rankin | |
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 Rankin in 2021 | |
| Born | (1949-07-27)27 July 1949 (age 75) Parsons Green,London, England |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Nationality | British |
| Period | 1981–present |
| Genre | Comedic fantasy |
Robert Fleming Rankin (born 27 July 1949) is a prolific British author ofcomedic fantasy novels. Born inParsons Green,London, he started writing in the late 1970s, and first entered the bestsellers lists withSnuff Fiction in 1999, by which time his previous eighteen books had sold around one million copies.[1][2] His books are a mix ofscience fiction,fantasy, theoccult,urban legends,running gags,metafiction,steampunk and outrageous characters. According to the (largely fictional) biography printed in some Corgi editions of his books, Rankin refers to his style as 'Far Fetched Fiction' in the hope that bookshops will let him have a section to himself. Many of Rankin's books are bestsellers.
Most of Rankin's books are set inBrentford, a suburb of London where the author grew up, and which, in his novels, is usually infested with alien conspiracies and ancient evil.
In addition to his novels, Rankin held a position as the Writer in Residence of Brentford'sWatermans Arts Centre during the 1980s,[3] and organised a regular poetry event there which he claims was the largest in Britain.[4] He also has performed on stage with bands.
Rankin's fan club, The Order of the Golden Sprout (named after Rankin's fixation with the vegetable), maintain a website and arrange events, many around Brentford.[5] In 2009 he was created the first Fellow of The Victorian Steampunk Society in recognition of his contribution to the genre.[6] He lives in Brighton with his wife, Dr. Rachel Hayward-Rankin.
During 2012, Rankin published his first 23 novels (up to and includingFandom of the Operator) on Kindle through his own publishing enterprise, Far Fetched Books, with new cover artwork, making them available to a wider audience, despite many of them being out of print.
In 2008,The Brightonomicon was adapted into a 13-part full-cast audio drama by Hokus Bloke Productions and BBC Audiobooks starringDavid Warner,Andy Serkis,Jason Isaacs,Ben Miller,Rupert Degas,Mark Wing-Davey,Martin Jarvis andSarah Douglas. Initially released as a 7-CD boxset and as a digital download, the series has now been re-edited for radio transmission, and Robert's first ever radio series aired onBBC7 from 23 August to 15 November 2008. Rankin has also had his novelThe Antipope dramatised for audio, and has also read unabridged versions of many of his novels as audiobooks. He recorded eleven of his titles forAudible. His free, full colour webcomic calledRobert Rankin's Empires for Beyond Reality Media in New Zealand, can be viewed online, and illustrated workAlice on Mars will also be released via the same website.
Rankin studied atEaling School of Art, where he was a contemporary ofFreddie Mercury andAlan Lee. He worked forPlayboy magazine and illustrated a book aboutThe Beatles before his portfolio was stolen and he abandoned the idea of working as a professional illustrator.[10] However he created many of the sculptures which feature on his book covers, many of which were on display at The Collection, a gallery in Lincoln during September 2010.[11] Some of these works were previously exhibited in Waterstones, Brighton, and at Gunnersbury Park Museum in 2007-8.[12] In 2009 Rankin was commissioned by his publisher to provide a series of new illustrations for his back catalogue of books (fromThe Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse to the present), he also created new internal illustrations forThe Brightonomicon,Retromancer andThe Japanese Devil Fish Girl and Other Unnatural Attractions. A cartoon by Rankin "The Robot and the Elongated Author" was published in Issue 13 ofMurky Depths, and 2010 also saw the publication of his first illustrated book, written by Neil Gardner,The Bumper Book of Ficts, which was launched on 18 September 2010 in Brentford.[13] A limited hard-back edition ofEmpires was launched in the UK mid-2012 which is now sold out. In July 2013 Rankin's own publishing house Far-Fetched Books launchedAlice on Mars, in a limited edition of 3000; this book is being made into a full-length feature film by award-winning independent film-maker Martin Gooch.[14] July 2014 saw the release of his next illustrated book,The Divine Commodore, also published by Far-Fetched Books in a limitied run of 3000.[15] He has recently completed writing his memoirs which were published in the autumn of 2015 under the titleI,Robert.
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