Etienne Leroux was the pseudonym of Stephanus Petrus Daniël le Roux. He was an innovative and eccentric writer, considered to be the greatest novelist among the Sestigers and in Afrikaans literature generally. His influence can be seen in many later novels by younger writers and his novels are still required reading at universities. S.P.D. le Roux was born in Oudtshoorn in 1922 where he also grew up. He came from a distinguished family who owned a large estate in the southern Free State. He studied law at the University of Stellenbosch and worked with a firm of attorneys in Bloemfontein for a short time. He went to manage the farm Ja-Nee in 1946 and from that time onwards he was a full time writer and farmer.