Madeleine Masson (1912-2007) was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. She studied History and Philosophy at the Sorbonne, Paris and gained a Ph.D. in Philosophy before going on to study Art and Humanities in Munich. She published twenty-seven books and plays, both fiction and non-fiction, including Edwina, Birds of Passage and I Never Kissed Paris Goodbye. As a journalist, Madeleine had worked on the Rand Daily Mail, the Cape Times and as a freelance journalist in Paris.