WILBUR SMITH, THE LEGENDARY AUTHOR, DIED AT THE AGE OF 88

  • 15/11/2021

Wilbur Smith, an international best-selling author, died at his home in Cape Town at the age of 88.

He died on Saturday afternoon with his wife, Niso, by his side, according to a statement on the Wilbur Smith Books website.

Smith's 49 books have sold over 140 million copies worldwide.

He rose to prominence after the publication of his debut novel, When the Lion Feeds, in 1964.

The storey of a young man growing up on a South African cattle ranch in the shadow of the Zulu wars and the gold rush quickly became a best-seller. 

It was a storey inspired in part by Smith's own experiences: when he was 13, he shot dead a lion that had attacked cattle on his father's property, according to a BBC interview from 2013.

Indeed, the novelist's personal life mirrored that of many of his buccaneering characters; he was a big game hunter, scuba diver, and licenced pilot.

According to his publisher, Smith was also "a believer in deep research," and the success of his first book gave him the "opportunity to travel far and wide in search of inspiration and adventure."

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