Statue of Jacob Polylas

He was born in Corfu on October 1, 1825 (October 13 with the new calendar), from a noble family with roots from Constantinople. He received an excellent education, as befits to a noble, but the most decisive event for his evolution was the acquaintance with Dionysios Solomos. The poet often visited the home of Polylas, until the death of his Polyla's mother in 1841. From then until 1847 the relations of Polylas and Dionysios Solomos temporarily stopped mainly due to Polylas obligations in matters of parental wealth.
Since 1847 reunited with Dionysios Solomos and he is a member of the literary circle which was established in Corfu around the national poet, together with Stelios and Gerasimos Markora, July Typaldos, Charles Manesi and others, which are the group of "Solomonian Society for Corfiot poets" of Ionian School. The same year he married Emily Sordinaswhich will soon gets sick and in 1851 moving to Italy for treatment. There Polylas continues the study of (foreign literatures and ancient Greek documents).
In 1853 he returns for some time in Corfu and Solomos - eccentric and solitary person- treats him with coldness, something which hurts  Polylas. In 1854 his wife died and he returned permanently in Greece. When in 1857 the Solomos dies Polylas delivers the funeral oration. From then until 1859 devotes himself to the collection and publication of manuscripts of the "teacher", a task particularly hard.

Polylas was a supporter of the union of the Ionian Islands with Greece. In 1862 he founded a political club, Renaissance and issued namesake newspaper. From 1869 until 1879 he was elected four times Member of the Greek Parliament, with the Radical party of Charilaos Trikoupis.
In 1884 he turned briefly to the party of Diligiannis but in 1890 he again approach the Trikoupian radical party. In 1892 he permanently left politics. He died on July 25 (August 5 with the new calendar) 1896.