Peter Høeg was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, on May 17, 1957. Before embarking on a career as a writer, he worked in various capacities, including as a sailor, ballet dancer, and actor. He published his first novel, A History of Danish Dreams (1988), to positive acclaim. However, it was his novel Smilla’s Sense of Snow (1992), a million-copy bestseller, that catapulted him to immediate and international literary fame. Høeg's books have been published in more than thirty countries, making him a significant figure in contemporary literature.