LAKELAND, Fla. (Jan. 14, 2008) — Florida Southern College welcomes internationally renowned author Alexander McCall Smith to the campus on Jan. 28 for a lecture and discussion on “The Very Small Things of Life.” The lecture will start at 7 p.m. in Branscomb Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public. A book signing follows the program and books will be available for purchase.

Smith was born in Zimbabwe and was educated there and in Scotland. He served as professor of medical law at the University of Edinburgh, leaving in 2005 to concentrate on writing. He has written more than sixty books ranging from reference works to children’s titles, as well as his popular series of detective novels set in Botswana, The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series. He has won numerous awards including Waterstone’s Author of the Year, Crime Writers’ Association Dagger in the Library Award, and British Book Awards Author of the Year. In 2007 He received a CBE Award (Commander of British Empire) for his services to literature.