Alexander McCall Smith

In the last few years, the profile of Alexander ‘Sandy’ McCall Smith has reached stratospheric levels, largely due to the success of the The No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency stories. The stories, set in Botswana in Southern Africa, feature the intuitive and generous Mma Ramotswe and her small but successful private detective agency. The No.Ladies’ Detective Agency novels won the CWA Dagger in the Library award in 2004. Alexander McCall Smith has also won the SAGA Award for Wit in 2003.

McCall Smith was born in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), but moved to Scotland to study law. Later he moved to Botswana to set up a new law school at the University of Botswana. McCall Smith now lives in Edinburgh with his wife and children, where he is professor of Medical Law at Edinburgh University.

He has written over 50 books, including fiction, children’s books, and textbooks on medical ethics and law. The Isabel Dalhousie series, starting with The Sunday Philosophy Club, is set in Edinburgh.

Among Alexander McCall Smith’s newest books are The Double Comfort Safari Club and The Careful Use of Compliments. He is also the co-founder of an amateur orchestra called ‘‘The Really Terrible Orchestra”.