Deon Meyer is a celebrated South African crime fiction author and screenwriter, born in Paarl, Western Cape, in 1958. He grew up in Klerksdorp, Northwest Province, after which he completed his military service and studied at Potchefstroom University. His career has seen him working as a journalist, press liaison, advertising copywriter, creative director, web manager, Internet strategist, and brand consultant. Meyer's initial foray into writing took place at the age of 14, but after his brothers' critique, he returned to fiction in his early thirties, contributing short stories to South African magazines.
Meyer's first Afrikaans novel was published in 1994, though it remains untranslated, as he felt it wasn't strong enough for the international market. However, he gained success with his later novels, which have been translated into numerous languages, including English, French, German, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Russian, Finnish, Czech, Romanian, Slovakian, and Bulgarian. He is a prolific writer, with 13 novels and two short story collections under his belt.
Meyer is a multi-award-winning author, having received honors like Le Grand Prix de Littérature Policière, Le prix Mystère de la critique, Deutsche Krimi Preis, the Swedish Martin Beck Award, and the Barry Award for Best Thriller in the USA. Living in Stellenbosch with his wife, Marianne, he divides his time between writing and enjoying his passions, such as South Africa, Mozart, mountain biking, cooking, photography, and supporting rugby teams Free State Cheetahs and the Springboks.