Peter Robinson (novelist)

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Peter Robinson
Robinson in 2010
Robinson in 2010
Born(1950-03-17)17 March 1950
Armley, Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, England[1]
Died4 October 2022(2022-10-04) (aged 72)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Alma mater
GenreCrime
Notable worksInspector Alan Banks
Notable awards
SpouseSheila Halladay
Website
www.inspectorbanks.com

Peter Robinson (17 March 1950 – 4 October 2022) was a British-born Canadian crime writer who was best known for his crime novels set in Yorkshire featuring Inspector Alan Banks. He also published a number of other novels and short stories, as well as some poems and two articles on writing.

Early life

Robinson was born in Armley, Leeds, on 17 March 1950.[1][3] His father, Clifford, worked as a photographer; his mother, Miriam (Jarvis), was a homemaker.[4] Robinson studied English literature at the University of Leeds, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts with honours.[3] He then emigrated to Canada in 1974 to continue his studies, obtaining a Master of Arts in English and Creative Writing from the University of Windsor, with Joyce Carol Oates as his tutor. He was later awarded a Doctor of Philosophy in English at York University in 1983.[3][4][5]

Career

Robinson taught at several colleges and universities in Toronto, and the University of Windsor (his alma mater) as writer-in-residence from 1992 to 1993.[3] He was best known for the Inspector Banks series of novels set in the fictional Yorkshire town of Eastvale. His first novel, Gallows View, was published in 1987.[3][6] It garnered him the Crime Writers of Canada Arthur Ellis Award, which he went on to win six more times during his career.[6] The series was eventually translated into twenty languages at the time of his death.[7] He also wrote two collections of short stories – Not Safe After Dark (1998) and The Price of Love (2009) – as well as another novel, Caedmon's Song, released in 1990.[3]

Personal life

Robinson resided in the Beaches area of Toronto[2] with his wife, Sheila Halladay, and he occasionally taught crime writing at the University of Toronto's School of Continuing Studies. He also taught at a number of Toronto colleges and served as Writer-in-Residence at the University of Windsor, 1992–1993.[4] Robinson and his wife had a holiday cottage in Richmond, North Yorkshire.[5] He died on 4 October 2022, at the age of 72.[8][9]

Awards and honours

In 2020, Robinson received the Grand Master Award from Crime Writers of Canada, and in 2010, he received their Derrick Murdoch Award.[10] Two years prior, he had been honoured with the Toronto Public Library Celebrates Reading Award.[7]

Awards and honours for Robinson's writing
Year Title Award Result Ref.
1988 Gallows View
Arthur Ellis Award
for Best Crime Novel
Finalist [10]
1989 A Dedicated Man
Arthur Ellis Award
for Best Crime Novel
Finalist [10]
1990 The Hanging Valley
Arthur Ellis Award
for Best Crime Novel
Finalist [10]
1990 "Innocence"
Arthur Ellis Award
for Best Short Story
Winner [11]
1991 Caedmon's Song (The First Cut)
Arthur Ellis Award
for Best Crime Novel
Finalist [10]
1991 "Innocence"
Arthur Ellis Award
for Best Crime Short Story
Winner [10]
1991 Past Reason Hated
Arthur Ellis Award
for Best Novel
Winner [11]
1992 Past Reason Hated
Arthur Ellis Award
for Best Crime Novel
Winner [10]
1993 Wednesday's Child
Arthur Ellis Award
for Best Crime Novel
Finalist [10]
1994 TORGI Talking Book Award [12][13]
1995 Final Account Author's Award, Foundation for the Advancement of Canadian Letters [12][13]
"Lawn Sale"
Arthur Ellis Award
for Best Crime Short Story
Finalist [10]
"Summer Rain"
Arthur Ellis Award
for Best Crime Short Story
Finalist [10]
Wednesday's Child
Edgar Award
for Best Novel
Finalist [14]
1996 "Carrion"
Arthur Ellis Award
for Best Crime Short Story
Finalist [10]
1997 Innocent Graves
Arthur Ellis Award
for Best Novel
Winner [11]
1998 Dead Right (Blood at the Root)
Arthur Ellis Award
for Best Crime Novel
Finalist [10]
"The Two Ladies of Rose Cottage"
Arthur Ellis Award
for Best Crime Short Story
Finalist [10]
Macavity Award for Best Short Story Winner [15]
1999
Anthony Award
for Best Short Story
Nominee [16]
2000 In a Dry Season
Anthony Award
for Best Novel
Winner [17]
Arthur Ellis Award
for Best Crime Novel
Finalist [10]
Barry Award
for Best Novel
Winner [18]
Edgar Award
for Best Novel
Finalist [14]
Macavity Award
for Best Mystery Novel
Finalist [15]
"Missing in Action"
Edgar Award
for Best Short Story
Winner [19]
2001 Cold is the Grave
Arthur Ellis Award
for Best Crime Novel
Winner [10]
In a Dry Season Le Grand Prix de Littérature Policière [13][20]
Martin Beck Award
Winner [13][20]
"Missing In Action"
Anthony Award
for Best Short Story
Nominee [17]
"Murder in Utopia"
Arthur Ellis Award
for Best Crime Short Story
Winner [10]
2002 Aftermath
Arthur Ellis Award
for Best Crime Novel
Finalist [10]
The Hanging Valley Spoken Word Bronze Award [13]
2004
The Summer That Never Was
(Close To Home)
Anthony Award
for Best Novel
Nominee [17]
Arthur Ellis Award
for Best Crime Novel
Finalist [10]
2005
Playing with Fire
Arthur Ellis Award
for Best Crime Novel
Finalist [10]
Macavity Award
for Best Mystery Novel
Finalist [15]
2006 Cold is the Grave Palle Rosenkrantz Award [12][3]
Strange Affair
Arthur Ellis Award
for Best Crime Novel
Finalist [10]
Macavity Award
for Best Mystery Novel
Finalist [15]
2007
Piece of My Heart
Arthur Ellis Award
for Best Crime Novel
Finalist [10]
Macavity Award
for Best Mystery Novel
Finalist [15]
2009 "Walking the Dog"
Arthur Ellis Award
for Best Crime Short Story
Finalist [10]
2012 Before the Poison
Arthur Ellis Award
for Best Crime Novel
Winner [10][21]
Martin Beck Award
Winner [12]
2017 "The Village That Lost Its Head"
Arthur Ellis Award
for Best Crime Novella
Finalist [10]
2018 Sleeping in the Ground
Arthur Ellis Award
for Best Crime Novel
Winner [10]

Publications

Inspector Banks series

Set in the fictional English town of Eastvale in the Yorkshire Dales. Robinson has stated that Eastvale is modelled on Ripon and Richmond and is somewhere north of Ripon, close to the A1 road [sic].[5] A former member of the London Metropolitan Police, Inspector Alan Banks leaves the capital for a quieter life in the Dales. Since 2010 several of the novels have been adapted for television under the series title DCI Banks with Stephen Tompkinson in the title role.[22]

  1. (published in the United States as Final Account)
  2. (published in the United States as Blood at the Root)
  3. (published in the United States as Close to Home)
  4. ISBN 9781848949072 (published in the United States as In the Dark Places)[23]
  5. Careless Love (2018),
  6. Many Rivers to Cross (2019),
  7. Not Dark Yet (2021),
  8. Standing in the Shadows (2023),

Other works

Although Caedmon's Song is a standalone novella, it is related to Friend of the Devil, which is also related to Aftermath.

References

  1. ^ a b "Peter Robinson: Armley-born writer returns to roots to help budding authors". Yorkshire Post Newspapers. 16 October 2008. Archived from the original on 13 September 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
  2. ^ a b "About Peter". Inspectorbanks.com. 21 February 2008. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Napier, Jim (14 November 2012). "Peter Robinson". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  4. ^ a b c "Peter Robinson". notablebiographies.com. notablebiographies. Archived from the original on 13 September 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  5. ^
    ISSN 0963-1496
    .
  6. ^ a b "British Canadian crime novelist Peter Robinson dead at age 72". CBC News. 7 October 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Peter Robinson". inspectorbanks.com. Peter Robinson. Archived from the original on 13 September 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  8. ^ "Yorkshire crime writer and Inspector Banks creator Peter Robinson dies aged 72". The Yorkshire Post. 7 October 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  9. ^ "DCI Banks author Peter Robinson dies aged 72". BBC News. 7 October 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y "Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence". Stop, You're Killing Me!. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  11. ^ a b c "Award Winners 1984–2005". Crime Writers of Canada. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  12. ^ a b c d "A Statement from McClelland & Stewart, Penguin Random House Canada on Peter Robinson". Penguin Random House. 7 October 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  13. ^ .
  14. ^ a b "Category List – Best Novel". Edgar® Awards Info & Database. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  15. ^ a b c d e "Macavity Awards". Mystery Readers International. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  16. ^ "Anthonys 1995 – 1999". Bouchercon. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  17. ^ a b c "Anthonys 2000 – 2004". Bouchercon. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  18. ^ "Barry Awards". Deadly Pleasures. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  19. ^ "Category List – Best Short Story". Edgar® Awards Info & Database. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  20. ^
    ProQuest 389831798. Retrieved 7 October 2022 – via ProQuest
    .
  21. ^ "2012 Winners". Crime Writers of Canada. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  22. ^ "ITV orders six-part run of DCI Banks". Broadcastnow.co.uk. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  23. ^ "In the Dark Places". HarperCollins. Retrieved 13 March 2022.

External links