Mma Says Thanks

In The Lineup – a book in which mystery writers discuss their main characters – Alexander McCall Smith recalls the slow, halting beginnings of his series about Precious Ramotswe in Botswana. Only 1500 copies were printed of The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency and its first sequels. Big London publishers weren’t interested because these novels were too gentle. They wanted edge and violence – especially from a Scottish writer. After the fourth book in the series (brought out by Columbia University Press in the U.S.), Anchor Books and Pantheon in New York finally got the idea. Today the books are published in 45 languages.

Here’s the statement from McCall Smith that we found striking – and heartening:

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“It was the Americans who discovered Mma Ramotswe. I owe everything to my American readers, who bought the books in large numbers. Like any country, the United States has its faults, but at heart Americans are a kind and generous-spirited people, and the country remains a beacon in the darkness of this world.”

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