Daniel Wallace is an acclaimed American author and illustrator, best known for his novel Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions (1998), which was adapted into a film directed by Tim Burton in 2003. Wallace studied business at Emory University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. However, he did not graduate and instead started working for an export and import company in Nagoya, Japan. After returning to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, he worked for thirteen years in a bookstore and as an illustrator before publishing Big Fish.

His other notable works include Ray in Reverse (2000), The Watermelon King (2003), Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician (2007), and The Kings and Queens of Roam (2013). He has also written a children's book titled Elynora, published in Italy with illustrations by Daniela Tordi. O Great Rosenfeld!, the only book both written and illustrated by Wallace, has been released in France and Korea and is forthcoming in Italy.

Daniel Wallace's works have been translated into over two dozen languages, and his stories, novels, and non-fiction essays are taught in high schools and colleges throughout the United States. He is known for his collection of glass eyes, a recurring theme in his works, which he has mentioned in numerous interviews.

Wallace currently resides in Chapel Hill with his wife, Laura, and their son, Henry. He is a professor in the Department of English at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.