Marios Hakkas, one of the most prominent post-war Greek writers, was born in Makrakomi, Fthiotida in 1931. When he was four years old he moved with his family to the refugee quarter of Kaisariani in Athens. His early and teenage years were defined by the German Occupation of Greece, as well as the civil war which ensued shortly after. As a young adult, he was involved in many leftist movements and became an active member of the United Democratic Left. Hakkas was arrested in 1954 due to his political beliefs and was sentenced to four years in prison; it was during that time that he turned to writing poems and short stories. He died in 1972 at the age of forty-one due to cancer.