Human Kindness in a Volatile World Alexander McCall Smith
Event details
While the headlines often focus on what divides us, acclaimed author Alexander McCall Smith has spent decades chronicling what connects us: friendship, community and the simple importance of being kind. From the dusty streets of Gaborone to the cobblestones of Edinburgh, his characters remind us that the smallest acts of kindness are often the most revolutionary.
Join us for a wide-ranging conversation with one of the world's most beloved storytellers at this in- conversation event. We’ll explore Alexander’s prolific career spanning over 100 books, and discuss why, in a volatile age, nurturing human kindness and positivity is not just a literary choice, but a necessary way of life.
Don’t miss the opportunity to find out about the philosophy beneath the prose and hear from the author of the iconic No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency as he celebrates the publication of two new books, The Kind Company of Others and The Subtle Pleasures of Indiscretion.
Book sales
You can buy copies of many of our speakers’ books from Fox Lane Books, a local independent bookseller and Festival partner. In some cases, author signed bookplates are available too.
Portrait image credit: Kirsty Anderson
About the speaker
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 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 20 million copies in the English language alone. His various series of books have been translated into 46 languages and become bestsellers throughout the world. He has received numerous awards for his writing and holds 12 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 country. 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. In 2020, he received the honorary fellowship of the FT Weekend Oxford Literary Festival. And in 2022 he received the Lifetime Achievement in the Saltire Literary Awards.
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