Marcus Pfister was born in 1960 in Bern, Switzerland. After attending art school in Bern and subsequent graphic designer training, he worked from 1981 to 1983 in an advertising agency. In 1984 he started his own business and which inspired his first picture book, The Sleepy Owl, published 1986 by NordSüd. The big breakthrough followed in 1992 when Marcus Pfister wrote, The Rainbow Fish—taking the bestseller lists by storm. To date, more than 30 million copies have been sold worldwide, in different formats, appearing in over 50 different languages. In his studio overlooking the Swiss capital, Marcus Pfister continues to create new characters and stories.