Patrick Sskind is a German writer and screenwriter, best known for his novel Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, first published in 1985. After studying medieval and modern history in Munich and Aix-en-Provence from 1968 to 1974, Sskind worked as a screenwriter in the 1980s, contributing to Kir Royal and Monaco Franze among others.

Before his rise to fame, he spent the 1970s writing short prose pieces and unproduced screenplays. His breakthrough came with the monodrama Der Kontrabass (The Double Bass, 1981), which was an instant success and became a favorite on the German stage. Sskind's status as a literary prodigy was solidified with the publication of Das Parfm. Die Geschichte eines Mrders (Perfume), which quickly became a bestseller in Europe and sold millions of copies worldwide.