Balfas was born in Krukut, Batavia (now Jakarta), Dutch East Indies, on 25 December 1922.

His first short stories were published in Asia Raja, the official newspaper of the Japanese occupation government, in 1943.

[4] That same year he released Lingkaran-Lingkaran Retak (Cracked Circles), a collection of five short stories, led by "Anak Revolusi" ("Child of the Revolution").

[3] He left behind an unfinished manuscript entitled Si Gomar;[2] Dutch scholar of Indonesian literature A. Teeuw describes the work as Balfas' most interesting.

[6] Jassin wrote that "Anak Revolusi", which he considered to "create its own universe",[a] showcased the basic ideology and world-view Balfas used in his other works.