The 1960s: writing in opposition". SouthAfrica.info. 19 April 2001. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011 . Retrieved 6 April 2010. a b "Passion and piracy with Wilbur Smith". HeraldScotland. 14 July 2012 . Retrieved 25 November 2017.

The sailor grunted. ‘You’ll be teaching me to fart next.’ But he smiled at Hal in avuncular fashion – the boy was the ship’s favourite. By the time of his death in 2021, he had published 49 books of which he sold over 140 million copies, [5] 24 million of them in Italy (by 2014). [6] Early life [ edit ] The Diamond Hunters (1971), filmed as The Kingfisher Caper (1975) and as the TV series The Diamond Hunters (2001) starring Roy Scheider and Alyssa MilanoMy father was a colonialist and I followed what he said until I was in my 20s and learned to think for myself", he said. "I didn't want to perpetuate injustices so I left Rhodesia in the time of Ian Smith." [12] Shout at the Devil (1968), filmed as Shout at the Devil (1976) starring Roger Moore, Lee Marvin and Barbara Parkins This isn't the Smith to start with. If anyone wants to know what the fuss he's made over the years is about, start with The Sunbird. "Fly for me, bird of the sun...." *snivel* Still makes me mist up. A gripping read of the high calibre i have come to expect from Smith. He effectively manages to create a plot out of his regular themes (such as romance, tragedy, family ties, war & battles, good vs. evil and adventure), using a touch of history while keeping a level of freshness, unexpected plot twists.

He bounced up, turned towards the stern – and froze at the sound of an inhuman cry. It was a primordial bellow, the menacing challenge of some great predatory animal. a b "Early Days". Wilbur Smith Books. Archived from the original on 29 June 2017 . Retrieved 14 March 2013. A century and a half ago, by Papal Bull Inter Caetera of 25 September 1493, the Line had been drawn down the mid-Atlantic, north to south, by Pope Alexander VI to divide the world between Portugal and Spain. What hope was there that the excluded Christian nations, in their envy and resentment, would honour this declaration? Spontaneously, another doctrine was born: ‘No peace beyond the Line!’ It became the watchword of the privateer and the corsair. And its meaning extended in their minds to encompass all the unexplored regions of the oceans. Within the waters of the northern continent, acts of piracy, rapine and murder – whose perpetrator previously would have been hunted down by the combined navies of Christian Europe and hanged from his own yard-arm – were condoned and even applauded when committed beyond the Line. Every embattled monarch signed Letters of Marque that, at a stroke, converted his merchantmen into privateers, ships of war, and sent them out marauding on the newly discovered oceans of the expanding globe. Smith then met a young divorcée named Danielle Thomas, who had been born in the same town and had read all of his books, and thought they were wonderful. They married in 1971. [42] Smith later said "she manipulated me. I was making a lot of money and she spent it by the wheelbarrow load... she had intercepted letters from my children. She destroyed my relationship with them because she had a son from a previous marriage and wanted him to be the dauphin." [41]Interview with Wilbur Smith". 1989. Archived from the original on 7 June 2016 . Retrieved 21 March 2013. The Courtney series is divided into three parts, each of which follows a particular era of the Courtney family. [ citation needed] a b c Adams, Tim (3 October 2015). "Wilbur Smith: 'Poor Cecil the lion was going downhill fast – that dentist probably did his pride afavour' ". The Guardian . Retrieved 15 October 2021.