Bryce Courtenay, an Australian novelist and advertising director of South African descent, has achieved success in Australia.

As per CT, The Power of One, a 1989 book by Courtenay that he worried would never find a reader, has now been made into a movie and reissued as a children's edition.

The book, which takes place in South Africa in the 1930s and 1940s, follows the tale of an English youngster who picks up the moniker Peekay while reading it. Instead of providing a thorough description of the setting or an explanation of the events, it is written in the first person, with Peekay narrating (as an adult looking back) and trusting the reader with his thoughts and feelings.

One thing you might not know about Courtenay is that he and Geoff Pike developed the idea for the Cadbury Yowie. Courtenay was also known to meet readers on the street and offer them a free book.