Arthur Bryce Courtenay, AM (14 August 1933 – 22 November 2012) was a South African and Australian advertising director and novelist. He is one of Australia's best-selling authors, known for his book The Power of One.

Background and early years

Arthur Bryce Courtenay was born in the Lebombo Mountains in what was then called the Union of South Africa. He was the son of Maude Greer and Arthur Ryder. Ryder was married with six children and lived with his family. He also had a relationship with Greer, who was the mother of his daughter, Rosemary. Maude Greer gave the surname Courtenay to both of her children. Bryce Courtenay spent most of his early years in a small village in the Lebombo Mountains in the Northern Transvaal province, which is now called Limpopo. He later attended King Edward VII School in Johannesburg.

In 1955, while studying journalism in London, Courtenay met Benita Solomon. They moved to Sydney in 1958, married in 1959, and had three sons: Brett, Adam, and Damon.

Courtenay worked in the advertising industry. Over a career lasting 34 years, he served as Creative Director at McCann Erickson, J. Walter Thompson, and George Patterson Advertising. His successful campaigns included the original Milkybar Kid commercial.

Along with Geoff Pike, Courtenay helped create the idea for the Cadbury Yowie, a chocolate that included a toy, usually a native animal from Australia or New Zealand.

On April 1, 1991, Courtenay’s son Damon, who was born with hemophilia, died at age 24 from complications related to AIDS, which he contracted through a blood transfusion.

Courtenay divorced Benita in 2000 and admitted to having relationships with other women during their 42-year marriage. Benita Courtenay died on March 11, 2007, at age 72, four months after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. Later, Courtenay lived in Canberra with his second wife, Christine Gee.

Writing

Courtenay's novels are mainly set in South Africa, where he was born, or Australia, where he later lived. His first book, The Power of One, was published in 1989. Even though Courtenay worried it might not sell, the book became one of Australia's most popular books written by a living author. The story was turned into a movie and also published in a version for children.

Courtenay was one of Australia's most successful authors. He worked hard to build his success by connecting with readers and promoting his books. For example, he gave away up to 2,500 books each year to people he met in public places. However, only The Power of One has been published in the United States. Courtenay explained that American publishers often focus on books written in the United States first. He said he receives many messages from Americans who have read his books and hopes that U.S. publishers will one day recognize that his other books could also be popular there.

Courtenay had a strong work ethic. He often wrote for 12 hours each day and usually completed one book per year during his writing career. He began writing in the late 1980s after working in advertising for 30 years. In his lifetime, he sold more than 20 million copies of his books worldwide.

Death

In September 2012, Courtenay shared that he had been diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer and that his final book would be Jack of Diamonds. He passed away from cancer at the age of 79 on November 22 at his home in Canberra, two weeks after the book Jack of Diamonds was released.

Awards and honours

• Received the Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 1995 for helping with advertising, marketing, and writing books.
• Awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.) by the University of Newcastle in 2005.
• Received an honorary Doctor of the University (D.Univ.) from the University of Canberra in 2012.
• Named an Australia Post Literary Legend in 2010 and featured on an Australian postage stamp.