Maurice Sarfaty, a self-published author and prolific writer of both fantasy and gothic tales, was born in Athens, Greece on March 5, 1940 to Jack and Mitsi Sarfaty. With his birth occurring just prior to the German invasion of Greece, his early childhood was, as Sarfaty put it, "hampered by a very real war." It consisted not of playing, but reading. He later claimed that his love for reading classic tales led him to write stories of love and adventure.
Following the war, the Sarfaty family remained in Greece for a brief time. In 1951, the family immigrated to the United States and eventually settled on Milwaukee's north side. Maurice graduated from Washington High School in 1960. After graduation, he entered the National Guard and remained a guard member for six years during the height of the Cold War. His first serious written work was an autobiographical account of his experiences at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri's army boot camp. Following his initial training period Sarfaty became interested in fencing and participated in amateur fencing events for over twenty years. Sarfaty was also avid collector of weapons. He amassed a large collection of swords, sabers, foils, as well as guns of all types and calibers. In addition to these hobbies, Sarfaty loved the life of the outdoorsman. He competed as a trap shooter, equestrian rider, and show jumper.
In 1964, Sarfaty began to write stories and poems. His writing consisted of hundreds of stories, poems, and two books, Varvanna and Interludes in Horror and Other Short Stories. As well as writing fiction, Sarfaty kept a journal from 1960 to the 1990s. The journal describes events from his personal life, and events of local and national significance.
Sarfaty wrote over two hundred opinion pieces published in the Milwaukee Journal, Milwaukee Sentinel, and the Chicago Tribune on topics such as religion, abortion, the right to bear arms, citizenship and immigration.
