Nikolaos Calamaris (also known as Nicolas Calas, Nikitas Rantos and M. Spieros) was born in Lausanne (Switzerland) in 1907. When he was still an infant, his family moved to Athens (Greece), where Calamaris lived and studied until 1934. He later moved to Paris (France) and, in 1942, to the United States. He published collections of poems, theoretical and critical texts and translations, and collaborated with various journals. He died in 1988.