He first came to France in 1961 to study journalism at the university in Lille and returned to Greece in 1964 to perform his military service.

[1] Part of his experiences of his military service in the experimental Armed Forces Television (TED) was depicted in the cult Greek 1984 film Loafing and Camouflage, directed by Nikos Perakis, who served alongside Alexakis in TED.

[2] In his literary work he continued to draw from both Greek and French culture.

[4] In darkly humorous prose, he combined autobiography, history, fantasy, and suspense.

In 2007, he received the Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française for Ap.