Alexander McCall Smith

Alexander McCall Smith is a highly prolific and popular author, best known for his widely successful "No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series. Born in Bulawayo, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) on August 24, 1948, he holds British nationality and currently resides in Scotland.

McCall Smith is the author of several series, including "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency," "Professor Dr. Von Igelfeld Entertainment," "Isabel Dalhousie," "44 Scotland Street," and many more. In addition to his fiction works, he also writes medical law and bioethics non-fiction books. Prior to his writing career, he was a law professor at the University of Botswana and professor emeritus of medical law at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.

The "No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series, which has sold over twenty million copies, brought McCall Smith significant success and allowed him to devote his time to writing fiction. His works have been translated into over forty-six languages and have become bestsellers worldwide. In addition to his series, McCall Smith has written numerous stand-alone books, such as "La's Orchestra Saves the World," "Trains and Lovers: A Hearts Journey," and "Emma," a reworking of the classic Jane Austen novel. He has also authored over thirty books for children, academic works, and collections of short stories.

McCall Smith has received numerous awards for his writing, including the British Book Awards Author of the Year Award in 2004 and a CBE for service to literature in 2007. He holds honorary doctorates from nine universities in Europe and North America and received an award from the President of Botswana for his services through literature to that country in March of 2011. He is married to a doctor and has two daughters.