An unlikely alter-ego

Friday, June 25, 2010

After reading The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, a book told from the viewpoint of a proud, "traditionally built" African woman, it's a bit jarring to see the authors photo on the back. Alexander McCall Smith is a very white, very male Scotsman with thinning gray hair and light blue eyes.

But he has one thing in common with his fictional heroine, Precious Ramotswe: a peaceful, enduring affection for Botswana and its people. The www.theatlantic.com/culture held a conversation with the prolific writer

Ques: Your Ladies' Detective books are written in the very convincing voice of an African woman. How are you able to inhabit a character who is so different from you?

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