Many years ago I read a book called The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith. The novel was set in Botswana and had a really big impact on me because I found the characters to be so genuine and so authentic that I felt very connected to them and absolutely adored the wisdom that they applied to their daily challenges.  I then wound up reading several more books in this series and then basically very sadly let the characters go.

However, the other evening I was really thrilled to have the opportunity to attend an event honoring Alexander McCall Smith for his literary body of work for which he received The Medal of Honor for Achievement in Literature.

What I now know about “Sandy” as his friends called him was that for many years he was a Professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.  Although he has lived most of his life in Scotland, he did spend his childhood in Zimbabwe, and worked in Botswana and other African countries. That he’s the author of over 50 novels, including the well-known No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series. His other series of books are the Scotland Street series, the world’s longest-running serial novel, the Isabel Dalhousie novels, and the von Igelfeld series.  He is also the author of many stand-lone novels, including most recently My Italian Bulldozer.  He has also written over forty books for children, operatic libretti, and radio play.  He’s also the recipient of numerous awards, including the Bollinger Wodehouse Prize and the British Author of the Year Award.

So here are some additional photos from the event…

So returning to the honored author, Alexander McCall Smith, if you want to follow his writing then begin by picking up a copy of The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency.  You are in for a really big treat!!!!!