▁real ▁job " ▁prompt ed ▁him ▁to ▁become ▁a ▁tax ▁account ant ▁( char tered ▁account ant ). ▁ ▁" My ▁father ▁was ▁a ▁colonial ist ▁and ▁I ▁followed ▁what ▁he ▁said ▁until ▁I ▁was ▁in ▁my ▁ 2 0 s ▁and ▁learned ▁to ▁think ▁for ▁myself ", ▁he ▁said . ▁" I ▁didn ' t ▁want ▁to ▁perpet uate ▁in just ices ▁so ▁I ▁left ▁Rh odes ia ▁in ▁the ▁time ▁of ▁Ian ▁Smith ." ▁ ▁He ▁attended ▁Rh odes ▁University ▁in ▁Graham st own , ▁Eastern ▁Cape , ▁South ▁Africa ▁and ▁graduated ▁with ▁a ▁Bach elor ▁of ▁Com merce ▁in ▁ 1 9 5 4 . ▁He ▁subsequently ▁found ▁work ▁with ▁the ▁In land ▁Re venue ▁Service . ▁ ▁Nov el ist ▁ ▁First ▁nov els ▁Smith ▁turned ▁back ▁to ▁fiction , ▁this ▁time ▁determined ▁to ▁write ▁it , ▁and ▁found ▁that ▁he ▁was ▁able ▁to ▁sell ▁his ▁first ▁story ▁to ▁Arg os y ▁magazine ▁for ▁£ 7 0 , ▁twice ▁his ▁month ly ▁sal ary . ▁His ▁first ▁attempt ▁at ▁a ▁novel , ▁The ▁God s ▁First ▁Make ▁Mad , ▁was ▁rejected , ▁so ▁for ▁a ▁time ▁he ▁returned ▁to ▁work ▁as ▁an ▁account ant , ▁until ▁the ▁ur ge ▁to ▁write ▁once ▁again ▁over wh el med ▁him . ▁He ▁tried ▁another ▁novel : ▁I ▁wrote ▁about ▁my ▁own ▁father ▁and ▁my ▁dar ling ▁mother . ▁I ▁w ove ▁into ▁the ▁story ▁ch unks ▁of ▁early ▁African ▁history . ▁I ▁wrote ▁about ▁black ▁people ▁and ▁white . ▁I ▁wrote