Stuart Cloete was born in Paris, France, the son of a French mother and South African father. At age 17 he joined the Army and became a commissioned officer in World War I. He was injured, and while recuperating in France, he fell in love with his first wife and also decided to move to South Africa. Although he was successful as a farmer in South Africa, he wanted to become a, author, and he moved back to England to write. His first novel, Turning Wheels, was published in 1937 and became a best-seller, although it was banned in South Africa due to its commentary on the Great Trek and its inter-racial relationship. Much of his fiction was set in South Africa, but he also wrote speculative fiction, poetry, and biographies. In the 1960s he moved back to South Africa with his second wife, and they settled in Hermanus in the Cape.