Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis

Zorba the Greek is a popular novel written by the Greek author Nikos Kazantzakis. First published in 1946, the story revolves around the protagonist, who is a young intelligent Greek. This enduring novel is believed to have influences from the author’s personal life and his experiences of harvesting and mining in the Peloponnesus. The hero of the novel is presented as a flamboyant adventurer who escapes his bookish life. In this escape, he is helped and escorted by another boisterous and mysterious character called Alexis Zorba. The original name of the novel was translated as Life and Adventures of Alexis Zorba. Thus, the book is about the story of Zorba, whose exhilarating adventures have created thousands of literary fans across the globe. The story begins in a café and is set in the 1930s. The young Greek intellectual is the narrator of the story and he is shown to put aside his book for a few months. The story further moves on to describe the journey to Crete that is taken together by the Greek intellectual and his new acquaintance, Zorba. A good part of the novel is filled with the soliloquies of Zorba. The author narrates how the narrator gets afflicted by the adventurous life of Zorba and absorbs a new zest for his own life. The book has been adapted into a movie with the same name. Also, it was adapted into a musical called Zorba in 1968. Nikos Kazantzakis, born on February 18, 1883, was a Greek philosopher, poet, essayist, playwright, novelist, and travel writer. He got his major recognition through his magnum opus Zorba the Greek. However, he gained fame after the release of the film adaptation of the book. He studied law at the University of Athens in 1902, and in 1907, went to Paris to study philosophy. In 1945, he joined the Greek government as a minister. His other famous works include The Last Temptation of Christ, Freedom and Death, and The Saviors of God.