Irakli Metreveli was born in 1973 in Tbilisi. He studied Film Directing at the Shota Rustaveli Theatre and Film University and has held various roles across the cultural and diplomatic sectors, including positions at the Georgian Film Studio, the Ministries of Culture and Foreign Affairs of Georgia, and the Steering Committee for Culture of the Council of Europe. He has also served as an expert at the UNESCO World Heritage Centre. 

Since 2007, Metreveli has been active in journalism. He currently leads the Caucasus Bureau of the international news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP), where he reports on armed conflicts as well as political and social crises in the region. The Licit Magic is his second published book.