John Rebus
Detective Inspector John Rebus is the protagonist in the Inspector Rebus series of detective novels by the Scottish writer Ian Rankin, 10 of which have so far been televised as Rebus. The novels are mostly set in and around Edinburgh.
Character
In the books
According to Ian Rankin, John Rebus was born in 1947[1] in a pre-fabricated house in Bowhill, Fife, the son of a stage hypnotist. His grandfather was an immigrant from Poland. He grew up in a terraced house along with his brother, Michael. He left school at the age of fifteen and joined the Army, one of the few mainstream career options open to young men of the area, the others being the coalmining or Rosyth Dockyard, whilst his brother followed in their father's footsteps. After serving in Northern Ireland during The Troubles, he was selected to undergo selection for the SAS, but after a horrendous ordeal in training, turned down the chance to join the SAS and was given a position with Lothian and Borders Police in order to recover from the trauma.
Ian Rankin prefers to leave the physical appearance of his characters to the reader's imagination, although when Rebus is first introduced in Knots and Crosses, we learn that he has brown hair and green eyes, like his brother. His rough lifestyle means that his clothes are often less than immaculate. He was married, but divorced sometime in the 1980s. His ex-wife, Rhona, and his daughter, Samantha, appear frequently in the novels. Since the series takes place in real time, Samantha grows from a child to a young woman.
In Knots and Crosses, Rebus is only a Detective Sergeant, but is promoted to Detective Inspector sometime before the start of Hide and Seek, four years later. He has not been promoted since, although he has turned down a promotion on at least one occasion. His advancing years and approaching retirement mean that he is unlikely to receive another chance.
Rebus is for the most part apolitical - in Strip Jack it is revealed that he has only voted three times in his adult life, once for Labour, once for the Conservatives and once for the SNP. His general ambivalence towards politics is tempered by a dislike of sectarianism, resulting from his experiences as a soldier in Northern Ireland.
Influences
Rebus can be said to belong to a long tradition of paternal Scottish hard men. A natural leader whose gruff exterior and fierce will to succeed in his field belies a benevolent nature. The character owes as much to the likes of Jock Stein and Bill Shankly as it does to a more obvious relation, Jim Taggart. The post-war upbringing on a Scottish housing scheme amidst the decline of heavy industry, a fondness for alcohol, an identification with those who struggle against adversity, a distrust of authority, and an intimidating personal manner. Rebus has a strong love for books and music, owns an extensive record collection and drives a Saab. Rebus is a heavy drinker and often orders a pint of beer and a whisky. The traits that keep him strong are also the traits that drive those closest to him away. It is the pervasive image of Rebus as the noble loner that wins the sympathy of readers.
Rebus does have a string of romantic liaisons, but apart from his marriage to Rhona none last very long. He has been linked with DI Gill Templer before she became his superior officer. His longest relationship has been with Patience Aitken which spanned several novels. Either his relationships are improper and unsuitable - with women personally linked to the cases Rebus is working on, or else they find that Rebus is 'married' to his job, and cannot be fully committed to a relationship.
Retirement
In a 2007 interview with BBC Radio Scotland, Rankin corrected his interviewer in the description of Exit Music as not the last Rebus novel, but Rebus's retirement novel. Rankin expects to revisit the Edinburgh he created in fiction, with Clarke as his central police officer character.
Rebus inspired by musician Ian Stewart?
According to a Sunday Herald article in March 2006, Scottish musician Ian Stewart was the inspiration for the John Rebus character:
- "Scottish crime writer Ian Rankin has revealed that John Rebus, the star of 15 novels set in the grimy underbelly of the nation’s capital, may have more to do with the Rolling Stones than any detective could have surmised. The award-winning novelist admits during a new Radio 4 series exploring the relationships between crime writers and their favourite music that he took some of his inspiration for the unruly inspector from the “sixth Stone”, Ian Stewart. [Black and Blue, Let It Bleed and Beggars Banquet are titles of 'Stones' albums.]"
TV series
In the Rebus television adaptations he was played by John Hannah in the first series, but in the later series the role was taken over by Ken Stott to much acclaim.
A lot of Rebus's character foibles are glossed over in the adaptations, for example his large LP collection and the frequent popular music references and thoughts that Ian Rankin weaves into the stories. However, Rebus' reliance on alcohol is evident and he is often seen drinking in the Oxford Bar. Also, in the television series Rebus is portrayed as being a supporter of Hibernian FC and a Roman Catholic[citation needed]. Neither of these attributes are found in Ian Rankin's books. Indeed, in Mortal Causes, he specifically says that he is not a Catholic, and is described as a Calvinist. Rebus's Fife accent is softened as well; in the novel Tooth and Nail, London Metropolitan Police colleagues find it difficult to understand his speech.