Alexander McCall Smith

Story Calendar

Every month, a new piece of writing by Alexander will be posted here on this site making up a calendar of stories every year. Some will be short stories, some will be articles, and some will be sneak previews from books not yet released. Perfect to read with your morning coffee!

Check back to this page regularly to see what has been added or sign up below.

Latest Stories

October 2024

‘Late Summer’: A Poem for October

A poem written by Alexander to mark the late summer sunshine on the west coast of Scotland. Late summer Summer seemed to pass us by this year in Scotland, Until now, in September, unexpected In its generous showing of light and warmth, It invites us into its curtilage; Here we live beside a mountain, And […]

September 2024

A story for September: An extract from The Great Hippopotamus Hotel

The following is an extract from Alexander’s latest novel in the No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, The Great Hippopotamus Hotel. Mma Ramotswe had always understood that people who are one thing may at the same time be another. This insight, although not entirely original, is undoubtedly quite true. Embodying more than one identity is part of […]

July 2024

A poem for July: ‘Craiglockhart Hill in 2024’

Alexander has written a new poem about one of his favourite places to walk in Edinburgh, Craiglockhart Hill. The Friends of East Craiglockhart Hill have displayed the poem on their ‘Poets Post’ inside the Craiglockhart Nature Reserve. Craiglockhart Hill in 2024 Summer again on Craiglockhart Hill: The tumbling topography is clothed once more In the […]

June 2024

A Story for June: The Conditions of Unconditional Love

‘Modesty,’ said Isabel Dalhousie, as she spread thick-cut Dundee marmalade over her slice of toast, ‘is not quite the same thing as humility.’ This was not the sort of remark one would hear at every kitchen table, but Isabel was, after all, a philosopher, and if there are any breakfast tables at which such statements […]

May 2024

A Story for May: ‘Donald and Yevgeni’ from The Private Life of Spies

The Private Life of Spies is a collection of stories from the world of espionage by Alexander McCall Smith, available in paperback this month. This extract is taken from the story ‘Donald and Yevgeni’. The man with the scholarly air opened the photograph album. He handled it gently, in the way of a porter in […]

April 2024

A poem for April: ‘Friendship and Loss’

Below is a message from Alexander about a poem he wrote last month: ‘This is a poem I started yesterday and finished this morning. It is about friendship and loss. It refers to the work of Chinese poets of the sort I have always liked – Tang poets such as Po.Chu-i and Li Po (translated […]

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