Iain Banks interviewed in ASIM #35
June 17, 2008The latest issue of Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine includes an interview with Iain [M] Banks which was conducted in January this year.
David from 'The Banksoniain' tells us the piece "starts off being about Matter, but goes onto more general things, including the first hints that the next SF book is likely to be a 'Culture' one..."
Intriguing stuff. See the ASIM website for more information on ordering a print (AUD$8.95 plus postage) or pdf (AUD$4.95) copy of the latest issue.
Addendum: Simon Petrie of ASIM very kindly sent us a pdf copy of the interview with Iain, so we can confirm that he talks about (among many other things) his addiction to writing science fiction: "The point is, though, that science fiction is the genre that I love… it just lets me exercise the imagination, and that’s the point about science fiction. It's about imagination, it's about ideas, and those are the two things that I absolutely treasure, you don't get in any other genre."
And on that hint as to whether his next SF novel will be a Culture title: "Will it be Culture? I don't entirely know… but having said that, I love writing about the Culture, I just absolutely adore it, I almost have to force myself not to. So, chances are very much that the one after the next one (which is a mainstream) will be the next Culture science fiction novel."
There's also some intriguing thoughts on the origins of The Culture, the degree of artistic extrapolation vs. research in his world-building, the chances of seeing a Culture novel on the big screen (pretty slim), Iain's literary inspirations (a great many) and much more.
Well worth the pdf download admission price alone. Cheers, Simon!
