Patrick Süskind

Süskind was born in 1949 to a journalist father and a sports trainer mother. He attended school in a small Bavarian village and went on to study medieval and modern history at the University of Munich and in Aix-en-Provence, France, but he never graduated. He later moved to Paris and was supported financially by his parents. There he wrote short stories and screenplays, none of which were published. In 1981, Süskind experienced a breakthrough with his play The Double Bass, which was performed more than 500 times in the 1984-85 theatrical season. Perfume is his best-known novel and spent nine years on a prominent German magazine's bestseller list. Very little is known about Süskind, as he lives as a recluse in Munich and Montolieu, France and doesn't grant interviews or allow photos. While he's won several literary awards, he's rejected most of them.