Harry Mark Petrakis

American author

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

Quick Facts

Born:: June 5, 1923, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.

Died:: February 2, 2021, near Chesterton, Indiana (aged 97)

Notable Works:: “A Dream of Kings”; “Ghost of the Sun”; “Lion at My Heart”; “Stelmark: A Family Recollection”; “The Odyssey of Kostas Volakis”; “The Shepherds of Shadows”

See all related content

Harry Mark Petrakis (born June 5, 1923, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.—died February 2, 2021, near Chesterton, Indiana) was an American novelist and short-story writer whose exuberant and sensitive works deal with the lives of Greek immigrants in urban America.

Petrakis, the son of an Eastern Orthodox priest, attended the University of Illinois (1940–41) and held a variety of jobs to support himself while writing. His novels and stories, usually set in Chicago, included Lion at My Heart (1959); The Odyssey of Kostas Volakis (1963); A Dream of Kings (1966) and its sequel, Ghost of the Sun (1990); The Hour of the Bell (1976) and its sequel, The Shepherds of Shadows (2008); Nick the Greek (1979); Days of Vengeance (1983); and The Orchards of Ithaca (2004). He also published collections of short stories. His nonfiction works included a biography of the industrialist Henry Crown (1998; written with David Weber). In addition, Petrakis wrote such autobiographies as Stelmark: A Family Recollection (1970), Tales of the Heart: Dreams and Memories of a Lifetime, and Song of My Life (2014).

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.