A few of my favourite things

Born in Zambia in 1933, the prolific writer had his first success in 1964 with his novel When the Lion Feeds, which was followed by 41 global bestsellers–all historical fiction set in South Africa. His Wilbur & Niso Smith Foundation, established in 2015, empowers writers, promoting literacy and adventure writing as a genre. He lives near Cape Town, South Africa, with his wife, Niso, and his latest novel, King of Kings, (the sixth in the ‘Ballantyne’ series) is out now

I have always been a huge Nature fan, having grown up in South Africa. The annual safaris with my family when I was a child were the highlight of my year. Birdwatching is still one of my favourite pastimes and I couldn’t live without my binoculars. They’ve travelled the world with me. My favourite pair is Swarovski EL 10 x 42, £2,140 (www.uk.swarovskioptik.com)

South Africa has a great variety of wonderful birds and butterflies, so when I’m here, I like to make sure I have plants and flowers in my garden to attract them. I’m particularly fond of Marula trees, found in Kruger National Park.

Books are, of course, one of my greatest loves and I discovered the joy that is to be found in reading at a very early age. It was a passion I inherited from my mother. Ernest Hemingway is something of a hero to me and The Old Man and the Sea, the first book of his that I read, is a firm favourite.