In 1976 she received the Zilveren Griffel [nl] (Silver Stylus) award, one of the Netherlands' highest honors for youth literature, for her book Nancho van Bonaire.

Diana Melinda Lebacs was born on 12 September 1947 in the Chere Asile neighborhood of Willemstad, capital of the Territory of Curaçao.

Her mother, Esther Amalia Doelwijt,[2] was Creole from Suriname and spoke Sranan Tongo, having moved to Curaçao at the age of eighteen.

[3] After Lebacs completed her primary education at the Philomena School,[3] she attended the María Immaculata Lyceum for her secondary studies.

After agreeing to publish the novel and completing the edits they wanted, Lebacs enrolled in a two-year Papiamento literary course in 1970 to gain a better insight into the lingua franca of her homeland.

[6] Her 1975 book Nancho van Bonaire earned the Zilveren Griffel [nl] (Silver Stylus) award in 1976, the first time the honor had been given to a non-European author.

[2][8] She also participated in community projects including book fairs, workshops to end violence against women, and programs to protect the environment.

[2][9] In 1994, Lebacs published her first novel for adults, De langste maand (The Longest Month), which evaluates disparities in traditional local values and Westernized expectations.