Peter Robinson (novelist)
Encyclopedia
Dr. Peter Robinson is an English crime writer, based in Canada. He is best known for his crime novels set in Yorkshire featuring Inspector Alan Banks
. He has also published a number of other novels and short stories as well as some poems and two articles on writing.
. He then emigrated to Canada in 1974 and took his MA in English and Creative Writing at the University of Windsor
, with Joyce Carol Oates
as his tutor, then a PhD in English at York University
in Toronto
. He is best known for the Inspector Banks series of novels set in the fictional Yorkshire town of Eastvale, which have been translated into fifteen languages, but also writes short stories and other novels.
(1987), introduced Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks
. It was short-listed for the John Creasey Award in the UK and Crime Writers of Canada
best first novel award. A Dedicated Man followed in 1988 and was short-listed for the CWC's Arthur Ellis Award for best novel
. A Necessary End and The Hanging Valley, both Inspector Banks novels, followed in 1989, and the latter was nominated for an Arthur Ellis Award. Both received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly
in the US.
The fifth Inspector Banks novel, Past Reason Hated
, won the Arthur Ellis Awardt Novel in 1992. The sixth, Wednesday's Child
, was nominated for an Edgar Award
by the Mystery Writers of America
. Dry Bones That Dream
(US:Final Account) appeared in 1994 and won an Author's Award from the Foundation for the Advancement of Canadian Letters in 1995.
The eighth Inspector Banks novel, Innocent Graves
(1996) was picked as one of Publishers Weekly
's best mysteries of 1996 and selected as "page-turner of the week" by People magazine. Innocent Graves
was also nominated for a Hammett Award for "literary excellence in the field of crime writing" by the International Association of Crime Writers, and won the author his second Arthur Ellis Award for best novel. In a Dry Season
, the tenth in the series, won the Anthony and Barry awards for best novel and was nominated for the Edgar, Hammett, Macavity
and Arthur Ellis Awards. In 2001, it also won France's Grand Prix de Littérature Policière
and Sweden's Martin Beck Award
. It was also a New York Times Notable Book of 1999. The next book, Cold is the Grave
, won the Arthur Ellis Award and was nominated for the Los Angeles Times Book Award.
In 2002, Robinson was awarded the "Dagger in the Library" by the Crime Writers' Association
. The 12th novel Aftermath
was a number one bestseller in the UK and Canada, and was later dramatised for ITV
, under the title DCI Banks, and stars Stephen Tompkinson
as Banks. The two-part episode was shown on 27 September and 4 October 2010.
The 13th novel, The Summer that Never Was, appeared on the New York Times expanded bestseller list in February 2003, and on both the UK and Canadian bestseller lists and was nominated for an Arthur Ellis and an Anthony award.
Robinson has also published many short stories. "Innocence" won the CWC Best Short Story Award, [1991. "The Two Ladies of Rose Cottage," which appeared in Malice Domestic 6, edited by Anne Perry
, in April 1997, won the Macavity Award
and was nominated for both the Agatha and Arthur Ellis awards. His first collection of short stories, Not Safe After Dark and Other Stories, was published in 1998 by Crippen & Landru and in September 2004, in an expanded edition, by McClelland & Stewart in Canada and Macmillan in the UK. "Murder in Utopia" won Robinson his fifth Arthur Ellis Award in 2001, and the same year "Missing in Action" won the Edgar Award.
Before the Poison, his first non-Banks novel in more than twenty years, was published in the UK, by Hodder & Stoughton
, in August 2011.
, Yorkshire
or Armley
, Leeds
,. He emigrated to Canada to continue his studies after completing his first degree at the University of Leeds
.
Robinson lives in the Beaches area of Toronto
with his wife, Sheila Halladay, and he occasionally teaches crime writing at the University of Toronto's School of Continuing Studies. He has taught at a number of Toronto colleges and served as Writer-in-Residence at the University of Windsor, 1992-93.
(also called Peter Robinson
) whose wife ran away with a young man
. Robinson received angry e-mails, saying his wife was "homophobic", and he quipped on his website under the title "I’m Not That Peter Robinson", "I guess people who send rude and insulting emails or push religion at the vulnerable were not, alas, at the front of the queue when the brains were handed out".
Inspector Alan Banks
Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks is the fictional protagonist in a series of crime novels written by acclaimed writer Peter Robinson.-Background:...
. He has also published a number of other novels and short stories as well as some poems and two articles on writing.
Life and work
Robinson was awarded with a BA Honours Degree in English Literature at the University of LeedsUniversity of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
. He then emigrated to Canada in 1974 and took his MA in English and Creative Writing at the University of Windsor
University of Windsor
The University of Windsor is a public comprehensive and research university in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's southernmost university. It has a student population of approximately 15,000 full-time and part-time undergraduate students and over 1000 graduate students...
, with Joyce Carol Oates
Joyce Carol Oates
Joyce Carol Oates is an American author. Oates published her first book in 1963 and has since published over fifty novels, as well as many volumes of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction...
as his tutor, then a PhD in English at York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. He is best known for the Inspector Banks series of novels set in the fictional Yorkshire town of Eastvale, which have been translated into fifteen languages, but also writes short stories and other novels.
Inspector Banks series
His first novel, Gallows ViewGallows View
Gallows View is the first novel by Peter Robinson in the Inspector Banks Series.- Plot introduction :Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks has moved to the Yorkshire Dales from London. He intends to try to escape the stress of city life. Violence follows. A peeping tom is frightening his new...
(1987), introduced Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks
Inspector Alan Banks
Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks is the fictional protagonist in a series of crime novels written by acclaimed writer Peter Robinson.-Background:...
. It was short-listed for the John Creasey Award in the UK and Crime Writers of Canada
Crime Writers of Canada
Crime Writers of Canada is a national organization for Canadian crime writers, founded by Howard Engel.-Arthur Ellis Awards:Its annual awards are the Arthur Ellis Awards. The award statue itself is wooden model of a hanging man. The arms and legs move when the statue's string is pulled.The award is...
best first novel award. A Dedicated Man followed in 1988 and was short-listed for the CWC's Arthur Ellis Award for best novel
Arthur Ellis Awards
The Arthur Ellis Awards are a group of Canadian literary awards, presented annually by the Crime Writers of Canada for the best Canadian crime and mystery writing....
. A Necessary End and The Hanging Valley, both Inspector Banks novels, followed in 1989, and the latter was nominated for an Arthur Ellis Award. Both received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
in the US.
The fifth Inspector Banks novel, Past Reason Hated
Past Reason Hated
Past Reason Hated is the fifth novel by crime-writer Peter Robinson, published in 1989 and is fifth in the multi award-winning Inspector Alan Banks series, itself winning the 1991 Arthur Ellis Award.-Plot summary:...
, won the Arthur Ellis Awardt Novel in 1992. The sixth, Wednesday's Child
Wednesday's Child
Wednesday's Child may refer to any of the following:*Wednesday's Child - the nursery rhyme*Wednesday's Child - the 1999 film*Wednesday's Child - the adoption TV program*Wednesday's Child - a novel by crime-writer Peter Robinson...
, was nominated for an Edgar Award
Edgar Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...
by the Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America is an organization for mystery writers, based in New York.The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday....
. Dry Bones That Dream
Dry Bones that Dream
Dry Bones that Dream is the 8th novel by crime-writer Peter Robinson, published in 1994 and is 7th in the multi award-winning Inspector Alan Banks series. It was published in the United States under the title Final Account....
(US:Final Account) appeared in 1994 and won an Author's Award from the Foundation for the Advancement of Canadian Letters in 1995.
The eighth Inspector Banks novel, Innocent Graves
Innocent Graves
Innocent Graves is the 10th novel by crime-writer Peter Robinson, published in 1996 and is 8th in the multi award-winning Inspector Alan Banks series...
(1996) was picked as one of Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
's best mysteries of 1996 and selected as "page-turner of the week" by People magazine. Innocent Graves
Innocent Graves
Innocent Graves is the 10th novel by crime-writer Peter Robinson, published in 1996 and is 8th in the multi award-winning Inspector Alan Banks series...
was also nominated for a Hammett Award for "literary excellence in the field of crime writing" by the International Association of Crime Writers, and won the author his second Arthur Ellis Award for best novel. In a Dry Season
In a Dry Season
In A Dry Season is the 12th novel by crime-writer Peter Robinson, published in 1999 and is 10th in the multi award-winning Inspector Alan Banks series. The novel is widely acclaimed as Robinson's best, a large step forward in ambition from previous books, and this was reflected in its critical...
, the tenth in the series, won the Anthony and Barry awards for best novel and was nominated for the Edgar, Hammett, Macavity
Macavity Awards
The Macavity Awards are a literary award for mystery writers. Nominated and voted upon annually by the members of the Mystery Readers International, the award is named for the "mystery cat" of T. S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. The award is given in four categories -- best novel,...
and Arthur Ellis Awards. In 2001, it also won France's Grand Prix de Littérature Policière
Grand Prix de Littérature Policière
The Grand Prix de Littérature Policière is a French literary prize founded in 1948 by author and literary critic Maurice-Bernard Endrèbe. It is the most prestigious award for crime and detective fiction in France...
and Sweden's Martin Beck Award
Martin Beck Award
The Martin Beck Award is an award given by the Swedish Crime Writers' Academy for the best crime novel in translation. It is one of the most prestigious international crime-writing awards....
. It was also a New York Times Notable Book of 1999. The next book, Cold is the Grave
Cold is the Grave
Cold Is The Grave is the 13th novel by crime-writer Peter Robinson, published in 2000 and is 11th in the multi award-winning Inspector Alan Banks series...
, won the Arthur Ellis Award and was nominated for the Los Angeles Times Book Award.
In 2002, Robinson was awarded the "Dagger in the Library" by the Crime Writers' Association
Crime Writers' Association
The Crime Writers Association is a writers' association in the United Kingdom. Founded by John Creasey in 1953, it is currently chaired by Peter James and claims 450+ members....
. The 12th novel Aftermath
Aftermath (Peter Robinson novel)
Aftermath is the 14th novel by crime-writer Peter Robinson, published in 2002 and is 12th in the multi award-winning Inspector Alan Banks series.- Adaptation :...
was a number one bestseller in the UK and Canada, and was later dramatised for ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
, under the title DCI Banks, and stars Stephen Tompkinson
Stephen Tompkinson
Stephen Tompkinson is a British actor. He is best known for his work in comedy and drama productions such as Drop the Dead Donkey, Ballykissangel, Grafters, In Deep, Wild at Heart and DCI Banks....
as Banks. The two-part episode was shown on 27 September and 4 October 2010.
The 13th novel, The Summer that Never Was, appeared on the New York Times expanded bestseller list in February 2003, and on both the UK and Canadian bestseller lists and was nominated for an Arthur Ellis and an Anthony award.
Other works
Caedmon's Song, Robinson's first novel not part of the Inspector Banks series, was published in 1990 and was also nominated for an Arthur. (It was reissued in the UK by Macmillan in September, 2003, and published for the first time in the US by Dark Passage in September, 2004, as The First Cut.)Robinson has also published many short stories. "Innocence" won the CWC Best Short Story Award, [1991. "The Two Ladies of Rose Cottage," which appeared in Malice Domestic 6, edited by Anne Perry
Anne Perry
Anne Perry is an English author of historical detective fiction. Perry was convicted of the murder of her friend's mother in 1954.-Early life:Born Juliet Marion Hulme in Blackheath, London, the daughter of Dr...
, in April 1997, won the Macavity Award
Macavity Awards
The Macavity Awards are a literary award for mystery writers. Nominated and voted upon annually by the members of the Mystery Readers International, the award is named for the "mystery cat" of T. S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. The award is given in four categories -- best novel,...
and was nominated for both the Agatha and Arthur Ellis awards. His first collection of short stories, Not Safe After Dark and Other Stories, was published in 1998 by Crippen & Landru and in September 2004, in an expanded edition, by McClelland & Stewart in Canada and Macmillan in the UK. "Murder in Utopia" won Robinson his fifth Arthur Ellis Award in 2001, and the same year "Missing in Action" won the Edgar Award.
Before the Poison, his first non-Banks novel in more than twenty years, was published in the UK, by Hodder & Stoughton
Hodder & Stoughton
Hodder & Stoughton is a British publishing house, now an imprint of Hachette.-History:The firm has its origins in the 1840s, with Matthew Hodder's employment, aged fourteen, with Messrs Jackson and Walford, the official publisher for the Congregational Union...
, in August 2011.
Personal life
Born in CastlefordCastleford
Castleford is the largest of the "five towns" district in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England. It is near Pontefract, and has a population of 37,525 according to the 2001 Census, but has seen a rise in recent years and is now around 45-50,000. To the north...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
or Armley
Armley
Armley is a district in the west of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It starts less than a mile from Leeds city centre. Like much of Leeds, Armley grew in the industrial revolution and had several mills, one of which is now the Armley Mills museum...
, Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
,. He emigrated to Canada to continue his studies after completing his first degree at the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
.
Robinson lives in the Beaches area of Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
with his wife, Sheila Halladay, and he occasionally teaches crime writing at the University of Toronto's School of Continuing Studies. He has taught at a number of Toronto colleges and served as Writer-in-Residence at the University of Windsor, 1992-93.
Iris Robinson scandal
In 2010, Robinson was notably mistaken for the First Minister of the Legislative Assembly of Northern IrelandFirst Minister and deputy First Minister
The First Minister and the Deputy First Minister , sometimes abbreviated to FM/DFM, are positions in the Northern Ireland...
(also called Peter Robinson
Peter Robinson (politician)
Peter David Robinson is the current First Minister of Northern Ireland and leader of the Democratic Unionist Party...
) whose wife ran away with a young man
Iris Robinson scandal
The Iris Robinson scandal, also known as Irisgate, was a political scandal in Northern Ireland which came to light in early January 2010. In a televised interview on 6 January Peter Robinson, Northern Ireland's First Minister, revealed that his wife Iris Robinson, had an affair in 2008 and...
. Robinson received angry e-mails, saying his wife was "homophobic", and he quipped on his website under the title "I’m Not That Peter Robinson", "I guess people who send rude and insulting emails or push religion at the vulnerable were not, alas, at the front of the queue when the brains were handed out".