The last time I saw Alexander McCall Smith, he was wearing a kilt. Perhaps if he hadn’t been rushing, he might have paused in the men’s room to make the wardrobe switch. This time, he was wearing a slightly rumpled khaki suit, but to the audience at Elmhurst College, his apparel made little difference, so eager was the crowd, which my colleague Joyce Winnecke and I held hostage until his arrival. The delish spread might have helped. (Still paying for those chocolate chip brownies.)
Growing up in a college town, I’m fully aware how hospitable and pleasant they are for places to hear various speakers – and I must say that I loved that free parking.
Venue aside, Smith is one-of-a-kind, and how lucky we were to enjoy his single Chicago appearance–he was in from Seattle, bound for Houston. How extraordinary to live in his imagination, one in which things work out for the best. It’s not that Smith creates a fantasy world. Instead, he creates an alternate universe, one where problems are solved and civility prevails.