Etienne Roché van Heerden was born in Johannesburg on December 3, 1954. He grew up in the Eastern Cape and Stellenbosch, where he matriculated at Paul Roos Gymnasium. After spending a year in the South African Navy, he studied at the University of Stellenbosch where he completed a B.A. (LL.B) Law Degree and an Honors (cum laude) in Afrikaans and Dutch. He also completed a Masters’ Degree at the University of the Witwatersrand and a Ph.D. at Rhodes University. After his studies, he worked as a lawyer, then in the advertising world and eventually also as a lecturer at the University of Zululand and Rhodes University. Etienne’s debut youth novel, Matoli, was published in 1978. In 1981 he made his poetry debut (along with André le Roux du Toit, Peter Snyders and Daniel Hugo) with Brekfis met vier. He was awarded the Eugène Marais Prize in 1984 for his short story collection My Kubaan. His novel Toorberg, published in 1986, was awarded the Hertzog, CNA, ATKV and WA Hofmeyer prizes. After this, he became well-known for novels such as Die stoetmeester (1993), Die swye van Mario Salviati (2000), In stede van die liefde (2005) and 30 Nagte in Amsterdam (2008). Van Heerden received the Hertzog Prize for 30 Nagte in Amsterdam.