Wilbur Smith, prolific adventure story author, dies at age 88

Wilbur Smith, a bestselling author who wrote dozens of adventure novels, has died aged 88.

Smith died unexpectedly on Saturday at his home in Cape Town, South Africa, his office said in an obituary on the website wilbursmithbooks.com. A cause of death was not given.

Born in 1933 in Northern Rhodesia – now Zambia – Smith acted out many of his stories in Africa, where he grew up on a cattle ranch and hunted game.

His first novel, “When the Lion Feeds”, was published in 1964. The protagonist is the son of a rancher in South Africa who fights in the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879, takes ownership of a gold mine and starts a stock exchange in South Africa. Johannesburg. The book introduces the Courtney family, whom Smith continued to write about in later novels spanning several centuries, including South Africa’s apartheid era.

He published a total of 49 novels that sold more than 140 million copies worldwide, according to his office. His novels “Gold Mine” and “Shout at the Devil” were made into movies.

“His knowledge of Africa and his imagination knew no bounds,” Kevin Conroy Scott, his literary agent, said in a statement accompanying the online obituary.

Kate Parkin, with publisher Bonnier Books UK, said Smith left behind books yet to be published and sketches for future stories.