‘The King gave a Dinner Party at Windsor Castle this evening. From the Royal Court Circular, the following were invited: His Excellency the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway and the Reverend Dr. Strømmen, His Excellency the High Commissioner for Canada and Mrs. Kendel-Goodale, the Bishop of Coventry and Mrs. Christopher Cocksworth, the Lord and […]

Alexander has had a grand time having fun in the sun in Australia, meeting readers and fellow writers at sold out events across the country. Huge thanks to the teams at Hachette and NewSouthBooks and to all the festival directors and journalists he met along the way. But of course the biggest thanks go to […]

On Memory – very special event at King’s Place, London on 27 May The celebrated author Alexander McCall Smith asks, ‘how do memories make us who we are?’ The answer comes in music – by Harry Whalley – and poetry and scientific exploration informed by neurologist Professor Adam Zeman. Joined by the acclaimed Gildas String Quartet and Soprano Sarah Dacey each movement explores a different […]

Movieweb has charted the HBO/BBC film of The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency at number 2 in their Top 13 Lesser Known HBO Series That Are Worth Revisiting: ‘Step into the colourful world of Botswana with The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. Based on Alexander McCall Smith’s bestselling series of novels, this delightful show follows the adventures […]

Alexander McCall Smith is travelling in Australia at present, touring literary festivals and doing the full round of media interviews. As he travels he is writing, and now he can reveal what is coming up in the next book in The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, From a Far and Lovely Country. Pop the kettle on […]

Alexander’s book, The Private Life of Spies, has been swooped on by the The Australian newspaper as a ‘recommended book for ASIO [Australian Security Intelligence Organisation] boss Mike Burgess… to give to hostile embassies’. A delightful review, written by Charles Wooley (a journalist who lives on a beach in Tasmania), points out that unexpected events […]

Alexander McCall Smith is heading ‘down under’  to Australia this month (March 2023), one of his favourite countries in the world. While there he is looking forward to meeting readers at a series of events, talking about all of our favourite characters. Take the opportunity to catch up with the great writer’s lastest books and […]

A treat for a loved one or for yourself on Valentine’s Day. Available now as instant purchase for your phone or ebook reader. Alexander has embarked on a brand new series – and it is creating great excitement amongst the team. Join us as on a new adventure with The Perfect Passion Company. This time, the […]

Tonight, 8 December 2022, Alexander was presented in absentia with the Saltire Society’s Prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Arts. The award ceremony took place at the Traverse Theatre in the centre of the city of Edinburgh as part of Scotland’s National Book Awards. The event was attended by the great and […]

Where is Alexander this week? On the high seas between New York City and Southampton in England on the stunning Cunard ship, ‘Queen Mary 2’. He is crossing the ocean as part of The Times/Cheltenham Festival on the Waves. He reports that all is going well on the voyage and he is delighted to spend […]

A visit to Sweden Alexander has just returned from a visit to Sweden. A series of poems he wrote on the subject of trees has been used by a group of young composers as the basis for various compositions. The composers were all senior students of the Lilla Academien, Sweden’s most distinguished school for musically […]

Alexander McCall Smith is back out on the road. He has been in America and Canada over the last ten days or so, meeting readers and promoting A Song of Comfortable Chairs. This was his first return to both countries since the start of the pandemic and he very much enjoyed being back doing what he […]