McCall Smith ’ s generous writing and dry temper, his gradualness and humanity, and his ability to evoke a position and a set of characters without caricature or condescension have endeared his books to readers — New York Times
Reading: Biography – Alexander McCall Smith
Alexander McCall Smith, frequently referred to as ‘ Sandy ’, is one of the world ’ s most prolific and favored authors. For many years he was a professor of Medical Law and worked in universities in the UK and overseas before turning his hand to writing fiction. He has written and contributed to more than 100 books including specialist academic titles, short narrative collections, and a number of vastly popular children ’ s books. His first book, The White Hippo—a children ’ south book, was published by Hamish Hamilton in 1980. But it wasn ’ thymine until the issue of the highly successful The No. 1 Ladies ’ Detective Agency serial that Alexander became a family name. The serial has now sold over twenty million copies in the english linguistic process alone, and since the books took off, he has devoted his fourth dimension to write. His respective series of books have been translated into forty-six languages and become bestsellers throughout the earth. These include the popular 44 Scotland Street novels, first published as a serial fresh in the Scotsman newspaper and nowadays the longest-running serial fresh in the world ; the Isabel Dalhousie novels, and the von Igelfeld series. He is besides the generator of the Corduroy Mansions series, which started life as an engaging cross-media serial written for the Telegraph on-line.
In addition to these serial, Alexander has written a issue of stand-alone novels, including The Forever Girl, Fatty O ’ Leary ’ sulfur Dinner Party, My Italian Bulldozer, The Second Worst Restaurant in France, Chance Developments and Pianos and Flowers. Earlier stand alone books include Trains and Lovers : A Heart ’ s Journey ; La ’ s Orchestra Saves the World ; and Emma—a rework of the classical Jane Austen novel. He has besides authored many non-fiction titles, the latest of which are A work of beauty : Alexander McCall Smith ’ sulfur Edinburgh and What W.H. Auden Can Do For You.
recently Alexander has written a new children ’ s series—The School Ship Tobermory—and we immediately have four books in the series. This increases the number of children ’ south books he has written to more than thirty. alexander has received numerous awards for his writing and holds twelve honorary doctorates from universities in Europe and North America. In 2007 he received a CBE for services to literature and in 2011 was honoured by the President of Botswana for services through literature to the area. In 2015 he received the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction and in 2017 The National Arts Club of America—Medal of Honor for Achievement in Literature .
