Alexander McCall Smith in conversation with Stephanie Merritt

Travel with the master storyteller to catch up with Mma Ramotswe in Botswana as he discusses his latest No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency novel, The Great Hippopotamus Hotel. Then allow Alexander to transport you to the west coast of Scotland, the setting for his new stand alone novel, The Winds from Further West, which tells a tale of love, Scottish islands, and wolf cubs.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alexander McCall Smith, often referred to as ‘Sandy’, is one of the world’s most prolific and best-loved authors. For many years he was a professor of Medical Law and worked in universities in the UK and abroad before turning his hand to writing fiction. He has written and contributed to more than 100 books including specialist academic titles, short story collections, and a number of immensely popular children’s books. His first book, The White Hippo—a children’s book, was published by Hamish Hamilton in 1980.

But it wasn’t until the publication of the highly successful The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series that Alexander became a household name. The series has now sold over twenty million copies in the English language alone, and since the books took off, he has devoted his time to writing.

ABOUT THE HOST

Stephanie Merritt began reviewing books for national newspapers while she was reading English literature at Queens’ College, Cambridge and after graduating went on to become Deputy Literary Editor of the Observer in 1998. Her first novel, Gaveston, was published by Faber & Faber in 2002 and won a Betty Trask award. She followed this with a second novel, Real, for which she was commissioned to write the screenplay by Gabriel Byrne’s production company, Plurabelle Films. She then turned to non-fiction with a critically-acclaimed memoir, The Devil Within, which was shortlisted for the 2008 Mind Book Award.

She continues to work as a feature writer and critic for the Guardian and the Observer and from 2007-2008 she curated and produced the Talks and Debates programme on issues in contemporary arts and politics at London’s Soho Theatre. She has appeared as a panellist on various Radio 4 shows and on BBC2’s Newsnight Review, and is a regular chair and presenter at the Hay Festival and the National Theatre. She has been a judge for the Costa Biography Award, the Orange New Writing Award and the Perrier Comedy Award.

She lives in Surrey with her son. @thestephmerritt

Host or Publisher Guildford Book Festival