Hello, I'm Kirstie Young, and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Discs archive.

For Wright's reasons, we've had to shorten the music.

The program was originally broadcast in 1982, and the presenter was Roy Plumley. This week our castaway as the writer of best-selling adventure novels Wilbur Smith.

Wilbur, could you endure isolation for a long time?

I think I could. I've always been a sort of solitary bird a learner. I think to be a writer you have to be

How much does music mean to you? My tests and music have always been very low brow

But my wife is interested in in better music and classical

music and she's slowly educating me I do like my music to have lyrics yeah I enjoy a

good lyric you know words being as important to me as

the music. But I work with music going most of the time. I have four or five tapes, my

favorite tapes, which just play softly in the back. I have you

four or five tapes my favorite tapes which just play softly in the background in my study when I'm working

Have you any musical skill do you do play an instrument I mean even the mouth organ or something like that I would starve to death if I had to try and make a living

yeah. No I really haven't. I can't carry a tune. Even in the shars my wife sort of locks the door, you know, so she doesn't have to listen when I was singing.

Did it take you long to make your list of... you know so she doesn't have to listen when I was singing.

Did it take you long to make your list of just eight discs?

It didn't within 10 or 15 minutes they came to hand.

Most of the ones that I have chosen are on the tapes that I have in my car and in the study.

So they were naturals. They were all old friends.

What's the first one? The first one is one of my great favorites is Frank Sinatra and the cut I've chosen is my way

because that's what I like to have is my swan song. When they carry me out feet first that's what I'd like to have is my swan song. When they carry me out feet first, that's what I'd like to go out singing, unmusically. exemption. I planned each chartered course, each careful step along the byway.

And more, much more than this I did it my way.

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