Malcolm Macdonald was born in 1932, the eldest of three brothers. While he was growing up, his family lived in Shropshire, Scotland, and South Africa; they eventually settled in Cornwall. After school he studied fine art and then traveled, working at a variety of jobs, including teaching, farming, mining, and tunneling. The first of his many novels, which include The World from Rough Stones, was published in 1961. He currently lives with his wife in Ireland.