Kostis Palamas (Patra, January 13, 1859 - Athens, February 27, 1943) was a Greek poet, prose writer, playwright, historian and literary critic. He is considered one of the most important Greek poets, with a significant contribution to the development and renewal of modern Greek poetry. The King's Torch, the masterpiece poetic work of Kostis Palamas, is an epic work, which tries in harsh and divided times (the national tragedy of 1897 had already occurred) to awaken the heroic ideal. The goal of this lyrical composition is the de-enslavement of the unredeemed areas, the areas beyond Thessaly.