The uncivilised lands, jungles and dark alleys of Africa have been best described and captured by Wilbur Smith in his books. Packed with adventure and known to grip his readers till the very end, all his books explain the rise and fall of the Dutch and English in South Africa.The author was here in India, touring six cities as a part of the ‘Landmark Wilbur Smith Tour’ to launch his most recent book, Those in Peril. We exchanged a few notes:
The Tossed Salad: How would you best describe Those in Peril to your readers?
Wilbur Smith: Well, this book is similar to any of my other books. I’ve tried to keep a balance between fact and fiction. The story revolves around a man called Hazel Bannock, whose 19-year-old daughter gets kidnapped by African Muslim pirates while at sail in the Indian Ocean. There are a few new different techniques I’ve tried to introduce here. Let’s hope my readers appreciate it.
TTS: If you had to induct a new reader into your series, which book would you recommend to the beginner reader?
WS: Always my first book: When The Lions Feed. The reader should start from the first and go right to the end, with hopefully no reason to stop.
TTS: Which book of yours would you say is your masterpiece?
WS: It’s like having thirty-three children. Some are prettier than than others, some are uglier than others. But secretly, you always love the first one – so I would say When The Lions Feed is my favorite.
TTS: How do you start writing a book? Is it a long, drawn out process or does it just come to you?
WS: At first, my whole mind is in a hurly-burly. I spend a great deal of time thinking about what I want to write, and how I want my characters to unfold. There is a clamour of characters which slowly seem to make sense the more I think of them. I am in no rush. It’s like a long marathon where I make sure I keep within my strengths. But when I start writing, I never stop or never rewrite anything. I go with the flow, and then finally see where it needs to be reworked after I’m done writing.
TTS: How has your journey been as a writer?
WS: I had a very bad start. I had an itch to write, out of which came When The Lions Feed. It didn’t do very well and I went back to being the accountant my father aspired me to be till that itch returned. I reworked my story, tweaked it here and there, and by the time I realized, I had people reviewing my book. Now for me, any review, be it good or bad, is always better than no review at all. I started with this attitude and this is where I am today.
TTS: Any last words for the your Indian fans?
WS: My Indian fans are much more in number than even the ones in Europe. So to them, my readers, you are my strength and the best thing that has ever happened to me. Keep reading!
