Iain Banks, Walking on Glass

Martyn Colebrook (University of Hull)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.3: Scottish Writing and Culture, 400-present.
Vol. editors: Kate Ash-Irisarri (University of Edinburgh), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), J. Derrick McClure (University of Aberdeen)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1985

Places

Scotland (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

Although Walking on Glass was Iain Banks’ next published manuscript, following the publication and success of The Wasp Factory, he had already written a draft of his first science-fiction novel, Consider Phlebas. Walking on Glass can be seen as the first of Iain Banks’ novels to trespass on the different forms of conventional fiction and science-fiction. In an interview with David Howe of Starburst (Issue 151), Iain Banks commented that Walking on Glass “didn’t do exactly what it set out to do and I think you have failed to an extent if the reader can’t understand what you’re saying. I worry sometimes that people will read Walking on Glass and think in some way …

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1982 words

Citation: Colebrook, Martyn. "Walking on Glass". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 11 January 2006 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=8677, accessed 24 April 2024.]

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