Mr. A.P.W.B Dumbledore and Mma McGonigal, both of Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry, England, stood on the wall of their castle and gazed across the lake. A cool wind swept up over the castle wall, chilling them to the bone. England grew cold this time of year, with the morning dew settling down heavy on the grass and staying until midday. The sun broke briefly through a cloud and fell upon the castle walls. From where Mr. A.P.W.B. Dumbledore stood he could see over the hills, to the yellow grains blowing in the wind down on the horizon of the meadow. Rain had fallen much that year, leaving the grass green and crisp. The berries on the bushes were plump and fat, juicy to eat, especially with a cup of hot bush tea.
He insists fame came too late at 56 and his only extravagance is slippers. So why has novelist Alexander McCall Smith swapped Botswana for his native Edinburgh?
The exuberant creator of The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency, first of an international bestselling series, is not only a prolific writer but a renowned bioethicist, professor of medical law and devout bassoon player. Is there anything he cannot do?
Alexander McCall Smith's books are written with the kind of simplicity one finds in the best children's stories and a fluency which reflects his practice of writing 4,000 words a day in a stint of four hours.
Alexander McCall Smith is a professor of medical ethics at Edinburgh university and the author of more than 50 books. He is best known for his series about a female Botswanan detective, The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency. His latest work is a collection of short stories, Portuguese Irregular Verbs
Marcel Berlins enjoys the latest instalment in Alexander McCall Smith's series featuring Botswana's first female private eye, The Full Cupboard of Life
As a bassoon-playing professor of medical ethics, Alexander McCall Smith was no stranger to success, but a series of novels about a female Botswanan detective has shot the quiet Scot to fame across the Atlantic.
Alexander McCall Smith writes (Privacy - the last frontier, November 27): "we do not object to insurance companies seeing our health record or asking when and from what cause our parents died". Well, I do.
Culture Vulture Tales of the city
One City, three authors
Love Edinburgh? Love Alexander McCall Smith, Ian Rankin and Irvine Welsh? Then here's the book for you.