Origins & Early Life

Wilbur Addison Smith (9 January 1933 – 13 November 2021) was a Rhodesian-born British-South African novelist specializing in historical fiction about international involvement in Southern Africa across four centuries. He gained a film contract with his first published novel, When the Lion Feeds, which encouraged him to become a full-time writer. He went on to write three long chronicles of the South African experience, which became best-sellers. He acknowledged his publisher Charles Pick's advice to "write about what you know best"; his work focuses on southern African ways of life, with emphasis on hunting, mining, romance, and conflict.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

By the time of his death in 2021, he had published 49 books. They have sold at least 140 million copies. Smith was born in Ndola, Northern Rhodesia, (now Zambia), as was his younger sister Adrienne, to Elfreda (née Lawrence, 1913 – ) and Herbert James Smith. He was named after the aviator Wilbur Wright. His father was a metal worker who opened a sheet metal factory and then created a 25,000-acre (10,000 ha) cattle ranch on the banks of the Kafue River near Mazabuka, by buying up a number of separate farms.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

"My father was a tough man...

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

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