Michael Davidson caps his dentistry career with a novel

Former dental surgeon Michael Davidson has published his debut novel - and it has nothing to do with teeth.

Brothers & Lovers (AuthorHouse), explores sectarian tensions in 1950s apartheid South Africa and tells the story of a doomed love.

South-African born Mr Davidson, 69, says the novel has large injections of his own experiences. He tells People: "The Jewish hero falls in love with an Afrikaans girl, and with him being Jewish they face huge opposition and are forced apart." He moves to England and meets a Jewish girl, but then his former lover resurfaces. He says: "There was huge antisemitism in South Africa from both Afrikaans-speaking and English-speaking people and this shows in the novel."

What made him go from dentistry to writing? "Writing is completely different to dentistry but I love it. It takes me out of myself. It's amazing what happens when you dislocate from your surroundings."