The Sunbird was published by William Heinemann in 1972. Ben Dobie is a brilliant but physically disabled archaeologist — hunchbacked, small, and plain — who discovers evidence of a lost Phoenician trading city in what appears to be Dobie (possibly inspired by Great Zimbabwe, the medieval stone city whose origins were long disputed by colonial scholars who refused to credit African builders).
The novel alternates between two timelines: the modern excavation, with its academic politics, funding crises, and Ben’s hopeless love for his beautiful research partner; and the ancient city at the moment of its fall, told through the eyes of a general defending it against barbarian invasion. The parallel stories illuminate each other — characters in the modern timeline echo those in the ancient one, suggesting reincarnation or cyclical history.
The Sunbird is Smith’s most structurally ambitious novel and demonstrates a literary ambition that his pure adventure novels sometimes conceal. He identified it as his personal favorite in interviews. The archaeological sequences draw on real debates about ancient trade routes between the Mediterranean and southern Africa — Phoenician coins have been found in Zimbabwe, and the extent of ancient maritime commerce remains contested.
Great Zimbabwe
The novel’s ancient city draws on the real Great Zimbabwe — the medieval stone ruins in southern Zimbabwe whose construction was long attributed to Phoenicians, Arabs, or other non-African builders by colonial scholars who could not accept that Africans had built in stone. Modern archaeology has conclusively established that Great Zimbabwe was built by the ancestors of the Shona people. Smith’s novel, written in 1972, reflects the colonial-era Phoenician theory, which was discredited by subsequent research.
Collecting The Sunbird
First edition (William Heinemann, London, 1972): Boards with dust jacket.
Approximate market values:
- First edition, fine/fine: $80–$200
- Very good/very good: $30–$80
Projected values (2026–2036): Moderate to strong appreciation. Smith’s personal favourite novel, with particular appeal to collectors.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the real Great Zimbabwe? Great Zimbabwe is a medieval stone city in southeastern Zimbabwe, built between the 11th and 15th centuries by the ancestors of the Shona people. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe and a major trading centre. European colonists long disputed its African origin — a controversy Smith’s novel explores.