Iain Banks made his name in 1984 with The Wasp Factory, a controversial tale about a 16-year-old murderer. Born in Fife, Scotland, in 1954, Banks studied at Stirling University. In addition to 13 novels, he has also produced 11 science-fiction works, under the name Iain M Banks, centred around a fictional utopian society, “The Culture”. Banks lives near Edinburgh with his partner.

Who is your perfect reader?

Probably me, with slightly better taste.

What books are currently on your bedside table?

Infinity Plus, an enormous anthology of science-fiction short stories, and Opal Sunset: Selected poems 1958-2008 by Clive James.

What book changed your life?

The Wasp Factory.

Do you have a daily writing routine?

In theory, yes; I start at 9am and finish at 5pm, five days a week, for two or three winter months. In practice, a lot gets done between 4am and 8am. Then I go back to bed.

How do you relax?

Relaxed is my normal state.

What is the strangest thing you’ve done when researching a book?

Using the equation e=mc2 to work out the explosive yield of very small quantities of antimatter, to determine how small an effective nano-missile could be.

What music helps you write?

BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 3, iTunes, or – for really hard bits – Glenn Gould playing Bach.

What keeps you awake at night?

Too much red wine and curry the evening before.

When did you last cry?

At my dad’s funeral in June, during a recording of Paul Robeson’s “Shenandoah”.

When were you happiest?

On my long walk, last week. I’ve nearly completed the Fife Coastal Path, then it’s back to the hills.

What is the best piece of advice a parent gave you?

What really matters is happiness, not ambition, fame, success or riches. That was my dad’s attitude.

How would you earn your living if you had to give up writing?

Precariously, I suspect.

Where is your favourite place in the world?

Scotland. Or Venice. Or a wee café in the 5th arrondissement in Paris.

What does it mean to be a writer?

Still waiting for someone to tell me.

Iain Banks’s latest novel is ‘Transition’ (Little, Brown)