News

Botswana celebrates 50 years of Independence

Date Published: 28th September 2016

Precious Ramotswe is to help Botswana celebrate 50 years of independence. Alexander McCall Smith has written a short piece for the BBC, in the words of Precious Ramotswe and in celebration of her country as the people of Botswana celebrate 50 years of independence. This piece will be broadcast on the morning of 30 September […]

Scotland Street Coffee is making a difference

Date Published: 22nd September 2016

On 30th March 2016 there was an official launch of the Mamie Martin Fund’s agreement with Brodies, the well-known coffee and tea merchant based in Edinburgh. Brodies have very kindly and generously offered to market Malawian coffee and transfer profits from the sales of the coffee to the Mamie Martin Fund. Alexander McCall Smith, whose […]

Raising a glass at Berry Bros and Rudd

Date Published:

A toast to Berry Bros Last week, Alexander McCall Smith spoke to a gathering of wine enthusiasts at the home of the oldest wine and spirit merchant in Britain. The company, Berry Bros and Rudd, was founded in 1698 and is still owned by the original family, operating from the same historic site in London’s […]

Edinburgh International Book Festival 2016 – Event reviewed (UK)

Date Published: 23rd August 2016

How can you describe such a literary phenomenon as Alexander McCall Smith? This prolific, best selling author with a richly imaginative mind creates the most endearing characters from Precious Ramotswe of Botswana to Bertie at 44 Scotland Street, from the philosophising, art lover sleuth, Isabel Dalhousie to Fatty O’Leary, whose farcical travels to Ireland won […]

Alexander at Edinburgh Book Festival – First Night Review (UK)

Date Published: 16th August 2016

Phil Miller, The Herald’s arts correspondent attended the first of Alexander’s three events at the Edinburgh International Book Festival last night. You can read his review here. The best selling Scottish author Alexander McCall Smith has defended his “positive” books which he says have been accused of being Utopian. In an uncharacteristically passionate defence of […]

Deckchair at the Edinburgh International Book Festival

What is Alexander McCall Smith reading this Summer?

Date Published: 15th August 2016

Find out in the Observer’s Best Holiday Reads as Alexander selects his books to pack for Summer reading.

Alexander McCall Smith at the Edinburgh International Book Festival (EIBF – UK)

Date Published: 22nd June 2016

Alexander McCall Smith will appear at the 2016 Edinburgh International Book Festival in August, with three separate events. Always one of their most popular guests, tickets are selling fast. Take a look at the details on their website and order tickets soon.

My Italian Bulldozer makes its mark (UK)

Date Published: 31st May 2016

succeeds in subtly, almost imperceptibly ripping up the traditional rules of the romantic comedy — Yorkshire Post Don’t miss My Italian Bulldozer, Alexander’s new, funny and very moving stand-alone novel which is attracting some lovely press attention. So far he has been interviewed in the UK for: BBC Breakfast Television BBC Radio Manchester BBC Radio Nottingham BBC Radio […]

Good Housekeeping Summer Fun (UK)

Date Published:

A new short story by Alexander is published in the July issue of Good Housekeeping magazine, out 1 June 2016. ‘When Bad Things Happen to Good Cooks’ is a delightful tale of disaster in the kitchen when a couple invite a world renowned chef to dinner. Very funny and uplifting. Afterall, it could happen to […]

Scotland Street on BBC Radio 4 (UK)

Date Published:

Alexander McCall Smith’s Scotland Street is back as a radio drama on BBC Radio 4. Every morning this week at 10.45am you can catch-up with Bertie, Irene, Bruce and all the regular faces from that popular street in Edinburgh’s New Town. An omnibus is available on Sunday and you can catch every episode on iPlayer. The […]

Bertie reads the Scotsman (Iain McIntosh)

Scotland Street is back with a splash in the Scotsman newspaper (UK)

Date Published: 29th February 2016

The Scotsman newspaper is delighted to welcome the characters of Scotland Street back onto the pages of the paper for the next three months. Alexander McCall Smith is writing an episode a day of the serial to appear in the paper before being published in book format in the UK in August of this year […]

Good Dog Lion selected for the UK’s Summer Reading Challenge 2016 (UK)

Date Published:

Good Dog Lion by Alexander McCall Smith has been chosen for the Reading Agency’s Summer Reading Challenge 2016. From the Reading Agency website today: We’re delighted to announce this year’s book collection for The Big Friendly Read, Summer Reading Challenge 2016. There are two lists—one for younger children and one for older children—comprising 72 titles in […]