MOSCOW: Zambian-born South African novelist Wilbur Smith has died at the age of 88 in Cape Town, reported Sputnik.

       "Global bestselling author Wilbur Smith died unexpectedly this afternoon at his Cape Town home after a morning of reading and writing with his wife Niso by his side," a statement issued on Saturday (Nov 13) on the writer’s official website says.

       Smith was born on Jan 9, 1933 in Zambia. When he was just 18 months old, he took ill with cerebral malaria but miraculously survived.

       More than 140 million copies of his novels have been sold worldwide in over 30 languages. According to his website, Wilbur Smith’s first novel When the Lion Feeds, published in 1964, was an instant bestseller.

       His Wikipedia page says Smith specialised in "historical fiction about the international involvement in Southern Africa across four centuries, seen from the viewpoints of both black and white families".

       Several film adaptations have been made from his works, including Gold with Roger Moore in 1974 (from the novel Gold Mine) and Shout at the Devil in 1976 starring Moore and Lee Marvin. – Bernama