McCall Smith appearing at The Kimball on Thursday
Internationally acclaimed novelist Alexander McCall Smith will speak on Thursday, April 7 at 8 p.m. at The Kimball Theater. His appearance is part of the College of William & Mary’s Patrick Hayes Writers Series.
“We are delighted to bring Alexander McCall Smith to campus and showcase his work,” says Nancy Schoenberger, professor of English and director of creative writing and the Patrick Hayes Writers Series.
The author of more than 60 books, including specialist academic titles, short story collections, and a number of immensely popular children's books, McCall Smith is best known for his internationally acclaimed “No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency” series, which rapidly rose to the top of bestseller lists throughout the world. The series has been translated into 45 languages and has sold over 20 million copies worldwide. A film adaptation premiered on HBO in March 2009, starring singer and songwriter Jill Scott.
Please note: Although free and open to the public, tickets are required and may be picked up at the Kimball Theater Box Office, or reserved by calling 1-800-HISTORY. There is a limit of four tickets per person.
“Alexander McCall Smith’s 'No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency' series appeals not only to mystery fans, but to readers hungry for appreciative and sensitive portrayals of contemporary African life,” says Susan V. Donaldson, chair of the English department. “(It) vividly captures the color and vitality of a country proud of its heritage and remarkably free of the strife and troubling legacies of colonialism.”
McCall Smith was born in what is now Zimbabwe, and was educated there and in Scotland. He became a law professor in Scotland, and it was in this role that he first returned to Africa to work in Botswana, where he helped to set up a new law school at the University of Botswana. For many years he was professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh, and has been a visiting professor at universities in Italy and the United States. He is now a Professor Emeritus at the University of Edinburgh, where he lives with his wife Elizabeth, a doctor.
