François de Waal was born and raised in Amsterdam. After studying law he became a journalist and later on made a career in television, working on all kinds of programs including talk shows and documentaries.

For the last six years he has worked as a lawyer to assist victims of crime. Of the four books he wrote, “Fifty Ways I Screwed Up My Life” was the most succesful. He was amazed at how many people reacted.

People of all ages, educations, and backgrounds, yet all used the same word: recognisable. He was very happy to learn that this book was translated into English, Spanish, Korean and Russian.