Wilbur Smith

Wilbur Addison Smith (1933–2021) was a prolific South African-British novelist renowned for his historical fiction set in Southern Africa and ancient Egypt, including bestselling series like the Courtney Novels, Ballantyne Novels, and Ancient Egypt saga. Born in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia), he drew inspiration from his childhood adventures in the African bush, debuting with When the Lion Feeds in 1964, which launched a career selling over 140 million books worldwide. Trained as an accountant, he became a full-time writer after securing a film contract for his first novel.