Panos Ioannides was born in 1935 in Cyprus. Ioannides grew up during a tumultuous period in Cyprus’s history and he often draws on the political conflict that surrounded him during this period when writing his plays, novels, and short stories.

Ioannides story "Gregory" is one of his most famous works. "Gregory" was first published in 1963 and is based on a real incident that took place during the Cypriot Liberation struggle against the British in the late 1950s. The narrator of the story is forced to kill Gregory, a friend who has saved the narrator’s life.

Today, Ioannides also serves as president of the Cyprus Refugees Union.