The Scottish author Iain Banks has written a post on his website stating that he has been diagnosed with terminal gall bladder cancer.
In the post, Banks writes: "The bottom line, now, I’m afraid, is that as a late stage gall bladder cancer patient, I’m expected to live for ‘several months’ and it’s extremely unlikely I’ll live beyond a year. So it looks like my latest novel, The Quarry, will be my last."
He writes that his illness came to light after his GP diagnosed him with jaundice, with consequent tests for the condition revealing the cancer.
He continues: "I have cancer. It started in my gall bladder, has infected both lobes of my liver and probably also my pancreas and some lymph nodes, plus one tumour is massed around a group of major blood vessels in the same volume, effectively ruling out any chance of surgery to remove the tumours either in the short or long term.
"As a result, I’ve withdrawn from all planned public engagements and I’ve asked my partner Adele if she will do me the honour of becoming my widow (sorry – but we find ghoulish humour helps). By the time this goes out we’ll be married and on a short honeymoon. We intend to spend however much quality time I have left seeing friends and relations and visiting places that have meant a lot to us. Meanwhile my heroic publishers are doing all they can to bring the publication date of my new novel forward by as much as four months, to give me a better chance of being around when it hits the shelves."
He concludes by praising his treatment by the NHS and stating that he may undergo chemotherapy to extend his life once his jaundice has reduced.
Having published his first novel, The Wasp Factory, in 1984, Banks has gone on to publish a number of acclaimed novels and short story collections, as well as science fiction, which he publishes under the name Iain M. Banks.
His website is currently down, but is set to host a link to a new site where, Banks writes, "friends, family and fans can leave messages for me and check on my progress. It should be up and running during this week and a link to it will be here on my official website as soon as it’s ready."
