Wilbur Addison Smith is a best-selling novelist. His writings include 16th and 17th century tales about the founding of the southern territories of Africa and the subsequent adventures and international intrigues relevant to these settlements. His books often fall into one of three
seriesA book series is a sequence of books having certain characteristics in common that are formally identified together as a group. Book series can be organized in different ways, such as written by the same author, or marketed as a group by their publisher....
. These works of fiction draw on history and help to explain the rise and historical influence of the Dutch and English whites in southern Africa that eventually claimed this diamond and gold rich and disputed territory as home.
Life and career
As a baby, he was sick with swag flu for ten days, but made a full recovery. He spent the first years of his life on his father's cattle ranch which consisted of 12,000
hectareThe hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
s (25,000 acres) of forest, hills and savannah. On the ranch his companions were the sons of the ranch workers, small black boys with the same interests and preoccupations as Wilbur Smith. With his companions he ranged through the bush, hiking, hunting, and trapping birds and small mammals. His mother read to him every night and later gave him novels of escape and excitement, which piqued his interest in fiction; however, his father dissuaded him from pursuing writing.
He went to boarding school at
Cordwalles Preparatory SchoolCordwalles is a private, boarding preparatory school for boys founded in 1912. It is located in Pietermaritzburg, the capital city of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.-Origins:...
in
NatalNatal, meaning "Christmas" in Portuguese, was a province of South Africa from 1910 until 1994. Its capital was Pietermaritzburg. The Natal Province included the bantustan of KwaZulu...
(now Kwa-Zulu Natal). While in Natal he continued to be an avid reader and had the good fortune to have an English master who made Wilbur Smith his protege, and would discuss the books Wilbur had read that week. Unlike Wilbur's father and many others, the English master made it clear to Wilbur that being a bookworm was praiseworthy, rather than something to be ashamed of and let Wilbur know that his writings showed great promise. He tutored Wilbur on how to achieve dramatic effects, to develop characters and to keep a story moving forward.
Next he went to
MichaelhouseMichaelhouse is a full boarding senior school for boys founded in 1896. It is located in the Balgowan valley in the Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.- History :...
(St Michael's academy for young gentlemen) situated on the foothills of the
DrakensbergThe Drakensberg is the highest mountain range in Southern Africa, rising to in height. In Zulu, it is referred to as uKhahlamba , and in Sesotho as Maluti...
mountains. He never felt like he "fit in" with the people, goals, and interests of the other students at Michaelhouse. On a positive note, he did start a school newspaper at Michaelhouse for which he wrote the entire content, except for the sports pages. His weekly satirical column became mildly famous, and were circulated as far as afield as Wykham Collegiate and St Annes.
Later Wilbur attended
Rhodes UniversityRhodes University is a public research university located in Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, established in 1904. It is the province’s oldest university, and is one of the four universities in the province...
in
GrahamstownGrahamstown is a city in the Eastern Cape Province of the Republic of South Africa and is the seat of the Makana municipality. The population of greater Grahamstown, as of 2003, was 124,758. The population of the surrounding areas, including the actual city was 41,799 of which 77.4% were black,...
,
Eastern CapeThe Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are Port Elizabeth and East London. It was formed in 1994 out of the "independent" Xhosa homelands of Transkei and Ciskei, together with the eastern portion of the Cape Province...
,
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. He became a journalist, writing about social conditions in South Africa, but his father's advice to "Get a real job" prompted him to become a tax accountant (chartered accountant). After he qualified as a Chartered Accountant, he married and had two children. The marriage ended badly and the divorce led to alimony and child support payments that left him penniless at only twenty four years of age.
He turned back to his first love, fiction and this time he determined to write it, and to his delight found that he was able to sell his first story to 'Argosy' magazine for seventy pounds, which was twice his monthly salary. His first attempt at a novel, 'The Gods First Make Mad', was rejected so for a time he returned to work as a tax accountant, until the urge to write once again overwhelmed him .
His first successful novel 'When the Lion Feeds' was published in 1964, written while he worked for
SalisburyHarare before 1982 known as Salisbury) is the largest city and capital of Zimbabwe. It has an estimated population of 1,600,000, with 2,800,000 in its metropolitan area . Administratively, Harare is an independent city equivalent to a province. It is Zimbabwe's largest city and its...
Inland RevenueThe Inland Revenue was, until April 2005, a department of the British Government responsible for the collection of direct taxation, including income tax, national insurance contributions, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, corporation tax, petroleum revenue tax and stamp duty...
. It tells the story about a young man, Sean Courtney and his twin brother Garry. The character's name was a tribute to Wilbur Smith's Grandfather Courtney James Smith who had had commanded a Maxim gun team during the Zulu Wars. Wilbur Smith's grandfather, Courtney James Smith, had a magnificent mustache and could tell wonderful stories that had helped inspire Wilbur. The novel,
When the Lion Feeds tells the story of Sean and Garry growing up on an African cattle ranch. The story wove in facts about Wilbur Smiths own father and mother. He added in early African history and included the perspective of black people and white. He wrote about hunting, gold mining, carousing, women, love, sex, and hate. This time he left out all the philosophies and radical politics and rebellious posturing that had been the backbone of his first attempt a novel. The book gained a film deal and its success encouraged him to become a full-time writer. His publisher and later agent, Charles Pick, gave him advice he never forgot: "Write for yourself, and write about what you know best." Pick also told him ""Don't talk about your books with anybody, even me, until they are written." Smith states that "Until it is written a book is merely smoke on the wind. It can be blown away by a careless word."
He married again following the publication of his first novel, and had another child, but this too ended in divorce. He met a young divorcee named Danielle Thomas who had been born in the same town and had read all of Wilbur Smith's books, and thought that they were wonderful. In 1971 they married. Smith dedicated his books to her until her death from brain cancer in 1999 after a 6 year illness.
In a bookstore in London he met a Tadjik girl, Mokhiniso Rakhimova 39 years younger than Mr Smith. Mokhiniso had received her law degree from Moscow University. He fell in love once again and they married in May 2000.
He states that Africa is his major inspiration, and currently he has over 30 novels published. Smith now lives in London, but avows an abiding concern for the peoples and wildlife of his native
continentA continent is one of several very large landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, with seven regions commonly regarded as continents—they are : Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.Plate tectonics is...
.
In 2002,
Wilbur Smith was granted the Inaugural Sport Shooting Ambassador Award by the
World Forum on the Future of Sport Shooting Activities.
The Courtney Series
The Courtney series can be split into three parts, each part following a particular era of the Courtney family.
In chronological order it goes the Third Sequence, First Sequence, then the Second Sequence.
However this is a slight generalization, so in fact the book sequence is:
- Birds of Prey 1660s
- Monsoon 1690s
- Blue Horizon 1730s
- When the Lion Feeds 1860s-1890s
- Triumph of the Sun 1880s
- The Sound of Thunder 1899-1906
- Assegai 1906-1918
- The Burning Shore 1917-1920
- A Sparrow Falls 1918-1925
- Power of the Sword 1931-1948
- Rage 1950s and 1960s
- Golden Fox 1969-1979
- A Time To Die 1987
The Ballantyne Series
The Ballantyne Novels chronicle the lives of the Ballantyne family, from the 1860s through the 1980s, against a background of the history of
RhodesiaRhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
(now
ZimbabweZimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
).
A fifth novel seeks to combine the Ballantyne narrative with that of Smith's other family saga,
The Courtney NovelsThe Courtney Novels are a series of thirteen novels published between 1964 and 2009 by Wilbur Smith. They chronicle the lives of the Courtney family, from the 1660s through until 1987. The novels can be split into three parts; the original trilogy of novels follow the twins Sean and Garrick...
.
The books are set in the following time periods:
- A Falcon Flies 1860
- Men of Men 1870s-1890s
- Triumph of the Sun 1880s
- The Angels Weep 1st part 1890s, 2nd part 1977
- The Leopard Hunts in Darkness 1980s
The Egyptian Series
A historical fiction series based in a large part on Pharaoh
Thutmose IIIThutmose III was the sixth Pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty. During the first twenty-two years of Thutmose's reign he was co-regent with his stepmother, Hatshepsut, who was named the pharaoh...
's time along with his story and that of his stepmother
HatshepsutHatshepsut also Hatchepsut; meaning Foremost of Noble Ladies;1508–1458 BC) was the fifth pharaoh of the eighteenth dynasty of Ancient Egypt...
through the eyes of his mother's vizier Senemut mixing in elements of the
HyksosThe Hyksos were an Asiatic people who took over the eastern Nile Delta during the twelfth dynasty, initiating the Second Intermediate Period of ancient Egypt....
' domination and eventual overthrow.
- River God
- The Seventh Scroll
- Warlock
Warlock is a novel by author Wilbur Smith first published in 2001. It is part of a series of novels by Smith set to ancient Egypt and follows the fate of the Egyptian Kingdom through the eyes of Taita, a multi-talented and highly skilled eunuch slave....
- The Quest
The Quest is a novel by author Wilbur Smith first published in 2007. It is part of a series of novels by Smith set to ancient Egypt and follows the fate of the Egyptian Kingdom through the eyes of Taita, a multi-talented and highly skilled eunuch slave....
The Seventh Scroll is set in modern times, but reflects the other three through archeological discoveries.
Criticism
Some critics of Wilbur Smith argue that his novels often contain sexist and racist assumptions and that they may have a political agenda.
Eye of the tiger (1975) bears many similarities to Hemingways "Islands in the Stream" (1970 post.)
Filmography
Several of Smith's novels have been turned into movies.
- The Dark of the Sun 1965, filmed as "The Mercenaries
Dark of the Sun is a 1968 adventure-war film starring Rod Taylor, Yvette Mimieux, Jim Brown, and Peter Carsten...
" (1968) starring Rod Taylor and Yvette MimieuxYvette Carmen Mimieux is a retired American movie and television actress.-Early life and career:Yvette Mimieux was born in Los Angeles, California, to a French father and Mexican mother, Carmen Montemayor...
- Shout at the Devil 1968, filmed as "Shout at the Devil"
Shout at the Devil is a British film directed by Peter R. Hunt and starring Lee Marvin and Roger Moore.The picture is a comedic adventure story set in Zanzibar and German East Africa in 1913-1915 based on a novel written by Wilbur Smith and is very loosely inspired by real events.-Plot:It tells...
(1976) starring Roger MooreSir Roger George Moore KBE , is an English actor, perhaps best known for portraying British secret agent James Bond in seven films from 1973 to 1985. He also portrayed Simon Templar in the long-running British television series The Saint.-Early life:Moore was born in Stockwell, London...
, Lee MarvinLee Marvin was an American film actor. Known for his gravelly voice, white hair and 6' 2" stature, Marvin at first did supporting roles, mostly villains, soldiers and other hardboiled characters, but after winning an Academy Award for Best Actor for his dual roles in Cat Ballou , he landed more...
& Barbara ParkinsBarbara Parkins is a Canadian television and film actress.-Early life and rise to stardom:Parkins was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. At the age of sixteen, she and her mother moved to Los Angeles, where she enrolled at Hollywood High School and began to study acting, tap, ballet, and...
- Gold Mine 1970, filmed as "Gold" (1974) starring Roger Moore
Sir Roger George Moore KBE , is an English actor, perhaps best known for portraying British secret agent James Bond in seven films from 1973 to 1985. He also portrayed Simon Templar in the long-running British television series The Saint.-Early life:Moore was born in Stockwell, London...
and Susannah YorkSusannah York was a British film, stage and television actress. She was awarded a BAFTA as Best Supporting Actress for They Shoot Horses, Don't They? and was nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globe for the same film. She won best actress for Images at the 1972 Cannes Film Festival...
.
- The Diamond Hunters 1971, filmed as "The Kingfisher Caper
The Kingfisher Caper is a 1975 South African film directed by Dirk DeVilliers. It stars Hayley Mills, David McCallum, Jon Cypher, Volente Bertotti and Barry Trengove.-Production notes:...
" (1975), and as "Diamond Hunters" (2001) starring Roy ScheiderRoy Richard Scheider was an American actor. He was best known for his leading role as police chief Martin C...
, Alyssa MilanoAlyssa Jayne Milano is an American actress and former singer, known for her childhood role as Samantha Micelli in the sitcom Who's the Boss? and an eight-year stint as Phoebe Halliwell on the series Charmed. She was also a series regular on the original Melrose Place portraying the role of...
- Wild Justice 1979, filmed as "Wild Justice" but released to video titled "Covert Assassin" (1993) starring Roy Scheider
Roy Richard Scheider was an American actor. He was best known for his leading role as police chief Martin C...
- The Burning Shore 1985, filmed as "Burning Shore" (1991) starring Isabelle Gelinas, Derek de Lint and Jason Connery
Jason Joseph Connery is an English actor.-Early life:Connery grew up in London. He attended Millfield School, a co-educational independent school in Somerset, England, and later at the independent Gordonstoun School in Scotland. He was later accepted into the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School...
- River God
River God is a novel by author Wilbur Smith. It tells the story of the talented eunuch slave Taita, his life in Egypt, the flight of Taita along with the Egyptian populace from the Hyksos invasion, and their eventual return. The novel can be grouped together with Wilbur Smith's other books on...
1993 and The Seventh ScrollThe Seventh Scroll is a novel by author Wilbur Smith first published in 1995. It is part of the 'Egyptian' series of novels by Smith and follows the exploits of the adventurer Nicholas Quenton-Harper and Dr. Royan Al Simma...
1995, a miniseries filmed as "The Seventh Scroll" (1999) starring Roy ScheiderRoy Richard Scheider was an American actor. He was best known for his leading role as police chief Martin C...
, Jeff FaheyJeffrey David "Jeff" Fahey is an American film and television actor. He has portrayed Captain Frank Lapidus on the ABC series Lost and the title role of Deputy Marshal Winston MacBride on The Marshal.-Early life:...
and Karina LombardKarina Lombard is an actress and singer.- Early life :Lombard was born in Tahiti. Her mother, Nupuree Lightfoot, is a medicine woman of the Lakota Nation and was an immigrant living in Tahiti. Her father, Henry Lombard, a banker, is a European aristocrat of Russian, Italian and Swiss descent....
External links