Marq de Villiers was born in 1940 in Bloemfontein, South Africa. In 1989 he became the first recipient of the prestigious Alan Paton Award for White Tribe Dreaming. He and his wife, the writer Sheila Hirtle, live in Port Medway, Nova Scotia. They often collaborate on books. In 2010, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada. In 2011 his book, 'Our Way Out' was published, dealing with the problems surrounding climate change, and possible solutions.