Customer Reviews (13)

A Beautiful Autobiography of A Profound Thinker & Writer
The spiritual travels to find himself and his inner soul are fascinating and the geography covered is extensive and with Kazantzakis' descriptions of the scenery, one feels that they are walking right along side him from Europe to Greece, the Mid East and beyond.

At one point, Kazantzakis is traveling with his friend Buddhaki to Mt. Athos to visit the many monasteries there and they come upon a Father Makarios. They muse on the ego, separation from God, etc., and when it is time to go, the good Father says, ["Good luck. God be with you." And a moment later, mockingly: "Regards to the world." "Regards to heaven," I retorted. "And tell God it's not our fault but his-because He made the world so beautiful."] (p 225)

On a trip to Jerusalem they meet a young man who ["...was passionately condemningthe dishonesty and injustice of present-day economic and social life. The masses went hungry while the great and powerful piled up fortunes. Women sold themselves, priest did not believe, both heaven and the infernal pit were here on earth. The afterlife did not exist; here was where we had to find justice and happiness.... Cries rang out: "Yes, yes, you're right!" "Fire and axe!" Only one person attempted to object." ..."It was frightening. The purpose of trip was to worship the sweet, familiar face of God-so gentle, so tortured, so filled with hopes for life everlasting." ..."...we were carrying as a terrifying giftthe seed of a new, dangerous, and as yet unformed cosmogony."] (p 245)

Later and on the road to the Dead Sea, "I had found it necessary to purge my bowels and expel the demons inside me-wolves, monkeys, women; minor virtues, minor joys, successes-so that I could remain simply an upright flame directed toward heaven. Now that I was a man, what was I doing but enacting what I had so ardently desired as a child in the courtyard of our family home! A person is only born once; I would never have another chance!" (p 252)

*Kazantzakis begins to summarize his spiritual journey with, "Our journey to the fatal intellectual Golgotha thus becomes more loaded with responsibility because now, looking at the Cretans, we know that if we fail to become human, the fault is ours, ours alone. For this lofty species-man-exists, he made his appearance on earth, and there is no longer any justification whatever for our deterioration and cowardice." (p 441)*

At the end is, "Just then-as fate was in a mood to play games-I made the acquaintance of an elderly mineworker named Alexis Zorba." (Zorba the Greek). This leads Kazantzakis to an introductory chapter on Zorba wherein he states, "My life's greatest benefactors have been journeys and dreams. Very few people, living or dead, have aided my struggle. If, however, I wished to designate which people left their traces imbedded most deeply in my soul, I would perhaps designate Homer, Buddha, Nietzsche, Bergson, and Zorba."
(p 445)

Kazantzakis was a prolific writer with incredible insight and wisdom and some of his best known works are: "The Last Temptation of Christ" and "Zorba the Greek". Start in on any book, though, and one will most likely feel compelled to read them all!

Absolute Repose, Absolute Fecundity
Autobiography of the Greek novelist, poet and philosopher. In his own words, the author of Zorba the Greek, Saint Francis, and The Last Temptation of Christ tells the story of his life and art. Translated from the Greek by P. A. Bien.

Report to Greco is comparable in importance to The Education of Henry Adams. It is not a formal autobiography, but rather the summing up, by a great artist, of a lifetime's ideas, work, experiences and friendships. In it, Kazantzakis searches for the roots of his own genius, describes his early interest in Nietzsche, his apprenticeship with Henri Bergson, his travels through Russia in the early days of the revolution, his tempestuous and deeply moving friendships and loves and -- above all -- the agonizing and never-ending process of artistic development that culminated in a whole series of inspired masterpieces.

It is a book of epic themes, dominated by Kazantzakis' agonized search for a means to combine his love of life and art with his ceaseless quest for spiritual truth -- a quest that led him from Bergson to Freud, from Freud to Lenin, from Lenin to Buddha, compelled by a deep desire to bring about, not only in art, but in life, a spiritual revolution, a 1917 of the soul.

Kazantzakis has been acclaimed as one of the truly great writers of our century by both Albert Schweitzer and the late Thomas Mann. Report to Greco is his credo, his summing up, his report to posterity on the efforts and the journeys of a lifetime. Together with The Odyssey: A Modern Sequel and The Saviors of God: Spiritual Exercises, it forms the cornerstone of his work.

A literarymasterpiece
I have read the book in both the original Greek and the translated version. The translated version is exceptional which is a rarity in literature. The book is a quasi-autobiography of Nikos Kazantzakis but the main theme is not his life. It's the spiritual struggle of man to find his place on earth and to understand the concept of a God. A deeply spiritual person, Kazantzakis, struggled throughout his life trying to draw the right path for him. He traveled throughout the world in order to witness how other cultures dealt with the same notions. He returns home at the end because the call of his birth land is too strong. The book is written supposedly as an account to his grandfather, an arab pirate, but a view also exists that it is a report to El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos), a famous Greek artist (1541-1614). Kazantzakis was a great admirer of El Greco and a visit to his homeland is described in the book. Kazantzakis is a literary giant, Albert Camus was one of his friends and admirers, and the book is not for the casual reader.
To me this is the book I would choose to have if I was only allowed to own one book.

Christ, Buddha, Lenin
A truly challenging work.A consumate traveller, truth-seeker, inetellectual, Kazantzakis creates a remarkable memior.The fact that Christ, Buddha and Lenin were the author's three primary heros and inspirations should be enough to pique anyone's interest.I would especially recommend this book to anyone feeling disillusioned with modern life.See how the world was just 100 years ago, and how it still might be for those adventurous enough to think they can redesign it...

Overcoming Twentieth Century Angst
This superb tome is meant to be read as part metaphor, part autobiography, and part myth. A truly glorious and inspirational work. Here, fellow readers, is the essence of the book: "Rise up, brothers! Join the struggle of life! Have no fear! Yes, all is vanity, but by boldly confronting the Abyss and experiencing each day anew, we can overcome the pettiness and sheepishness of the Age! Stand and fight! Though life is but a finite struggle, do not despair! Live life to its fullest! By doing so, each one of us may existentially triumph over our own mortality." Remember what is written on Kazantzakis' tombstone in Crete: "I want nothing, I fear nothing. I am free!" ... Read more

Product Description
Kazantzakis infuses this tale with a fervent vision thatis uniquely his own, highlighting the saintís heroic single-mindedness in the face of extreme physical and spiritual suffering. He portrays the saint as a great lover and inspiring leader, who embraced radical poverty in the face of many obstacles and temptations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Simply Great
Saint Francis of Assisi by Nikos Kazantzakis is a book about a man who becomes a Saint. Born to an Italian family in Assisi, Francis grows up in affluence and loves serenading young women. He joins the military hoping to earn knighthood and prestige. But he is not successful. One day he meets a man whom he calls mockingly Lion because he is covered with hair. Thus begins the story of Saint Francis by Brother Leo. Kazantzakis is the master story teller here and Brother Leo is narrating it. This book is a soulful story based upon the real life. Francis sets off in search of God and Brother Leo is his helper who accompanies him through the hardships on this path. They travel widely and preach "Poverty, Peace and Love", only to be mocked, thrashed and stoned by people calling them mad. But as Francis undertakes long lonely sessions to talk to God he hears voices. He is not sure if it is God or the Devil impersonating God. This is the epic struggle which Francis faces throughout. He disowns his father, mother, lover, all for seeking God. He constantly feels that Devil is trying to ensnare humans by taking different forms and sweet temptations. One cannot help seeing that perhaps Kazantzakis sees the similarity between Christianity now and the ensnare of the Devil. It is heart rending to see a man so possessed about God,love poverty, peace and all life including animals, birds. This book will bring tears to your eyes and if it does not then perhaps like Francis believes the devil has got to you. To read that such a person existed and was a Christian begs the mind that if Christianity to-day is the same of Jesus Christ of love? One cannot shake off thethoughts that later Christians dropped atomic bomb, napalm carpeting, drone attacks on civilians, burning of heretics, women, holocaust and still continue to believe they are the followers of Jesus Christ. If it was not tragic for Christianity that Europeans tribes snatched it from Middle East (Asia). They certainly were not ready for the spirituality of Jesus Christ. Saints like Francis re-affirm our faith in Christianity. I was so moved to know that there was a man of this enlightenment that I read it back to back. Overall a great loving book worth reading. As Kazantzakis says in the prologue that many a times while writing this book, the manuscript was smudged with large tears and so will be your copy.

great, poetic and full of words that fill you-
written in a poetic style, this book gives you a full meal of reading. it can be read in parts, a little at a time, or in one long marathon sitdown- the author puts his poems in prose-

A Beautiful Retelling of the Life of Francis
Kazantzakis' "Saint Francis" captures the "madness" of the Poverello of Assisi like no other book. Francis was truly a revolutionary character, but often biographies have a tendency to neuter him into a quaint, slightly eccentric character from a fairy tale. But Kazantzakis does not fall into this trap - he displays Francis in his full devotion to God and desire to imitate Christ completely. This can make one uncomfortable, as Francis appears unbalanced at times, but it drives home the point that the Saint of Assisi cared for nothing other than embracing Christ in poverty and love.

The book is written from the perspective of Francis' closest follower, Brother Leo. Kazantzakis' depiction of Leo as a simple, struggling, but devoted follower of Francis helps to enlighten his portrait of Francis by contrasting the two in their travels and struggles. At times, Kazantzakis is harsh in his depiction of others in Francis' life, especially Brother Elias, and even St. Dominic, but this all works to allow the reader to focus on the specific charism of Francis to preach - and live - Poverty, Chastity, Obedience, and Love.

Anyone with a devotion to St. Francis will be rewarded by reading this book - it has the power to force you to reevaluate your own life in the light of the life of the poor friar from Assisi.

A rare pen!
I did know Saint Francis before but when i read this book it is with great honor I should say Nikos Kazantzakis is my Saint Francis!!

Lost in the Translation
In 1972, I read The Last Temptation of Christ by Nikos Kazantzakis.I will always consider it one of the greatest books ever written.I found it an incredibly faith-affirming book and it changed my life as it changed my outlook on Jesus Christ.Thirty-five years later, I decided to read Saint Francis.

I was very disappointed.Not because it is a bad book, but because it fell way short of what I expected.Over the last three decades, I would say to anyone, "Open The Last Temptation of Christ to any page, and read.The words flow from each page like poetry."Such was not the case with Saint Francis.

I had a similar experience recently with Par Lagerkvist.I read Barabbas 40 years ago and then read The Sybil last year.I'll remember Mr. Lagerkvist for Barabbas, not for the disappointing Sybil. Similarly, I will remember Mr. Kazantzakis for the Last Temptation, not for Saint Francis.I truly believe that my failure to connect with these books recently is because of the translation, not because the author's work was of less value.

Saint Francis is a dark book of personal sacrifice. I continually saw visions of the Opus Dei sect as I read the book.Francis clearly led a life of personal sacrifice dedicated to the glory of God, but the translation left me empty and not inspired.I'll not refute any of the superlative reviews that this book has earned, but from this man's point of view, I'll be cautious in the future when selecting translated material regardless of the author. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

A book I've treasured for almost 50 years.
"Saviors of God" was the first "spiritual" book I read as a teenager and, although I've bought and recycled thousands of books over the years, I've kept this one with me throughout my life-journey.Although I've come to disagree with some aspects of it, I also disagree with those who discount it as not reflecting Kazantzakis' personal philosophy and passion.At its essence I can liken this volume only to Sri Aurobindo's "Savitri" in its message and grandeur.It is we who have imprisoned God, we who have projected our subconscious shadow side onto the Essence of the Universe and parodied it into a Cosmic Parent Figure -- And that Essence, which is also the Essence of us, screams within us for liberation and expression.Kazantzakis was excommunicated from the Greek Church for his views and writings, and finished his life in self-imposed exile on Naxos; the world of spiritual readers and seekers owes him a debt of gratitude, for sure.His gravestone reads, "I want nothing, I fear nothing: I am free."

Classic Metaphysics
This crazy Greek has laid down the challenge in this book.Reading it is like drinking firewater!

Not what I was looking for......
My biggest disappointment was that the online description did not accurately describe the contents of the book.I ordered a 'used' copy supposedly in 'excellent' condition.The book I received had considerable handwritten notes in it!When I expressed my total dissatisfaction with the order I was given a total refund which I did appreciate very much.

A FEW WORDS
N. Kazantzakis:"I know well that death cannot be conquered, but man's value is not measured by the Victory, but from the fight for Victory itself. And I know as well this, which is even more difficult: its not the fight for Victory - its only the value of the man, and is this: to live and die gallantly and to not condescent a reward. And further this, the third, which is even more difficult, the certainty that there is no reward should not scare you, but fill you with joy, pride, and bravery..."

GREAT!!!
I really like the author and I saw this book in a used bookstore and didn't get it.But then I couldn't get it out of my mind.So I went back to get it and I'm glad I did.It is a strong and moving book.He expresses the thoughts of someone who sees nothing but God. His life is God.This has nothing to do with any religion,as it is above a set of rules or beliefs.I can relate to him.Get the book if you can. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

12-year-old Loves It
My 12-year-old son read this book after reading several non-fiction books about Greek society and Alexander the Great.He highly recommends it.

Great adventure immersed in historical fact
Kazantzakis originally wrote this as a series in a literary periodical and was largely aimed at a teenage audience.As the translater notes, Kazantzakis would probably have liked to edit the combined work. Nonetheless this is a fantastic adventure packed - page turning novel which is based on the historical life of Alexander the Great.

This book is ideal for a teenage boy or for an older reader that likes a good adventure story and wants to get an interesting summary of Alexander's exploits.

Kazantzakis takes us through the Alexander's amazing life from his early teenage years to his ultimate death.The story is narrated through the eyes of a young boy of the Macedonian court that ultimately becomes one of Alexander's closest friends.

A teenage boy will find strong positive messages about the possibilities available through commitment to achievement(and learn a bit of history through the process).It's not just Alexander's belief in achieving the unthinkable, the adventures of heading to war and conquering unknown lands that will entrance young (and old) readers.Kazantzakis also tastefully includes small snipets of childhood romance in the life of the young narrator with sensitivity.

The only piece that left me only a little dissapointed was the complete absence of any mention of Roxanne.I thought that Alexander's great romance should have got a mention.

Read this book!
I have read 6 of Alexander's biographies. This was the 7th. The only one written by a Greek for a Greek. I find this the most accurate, objective and exciting one. A must read. Kazantzakis at his best. I just hope that Stone's version depicted on film will do justice to the Great Macedonian King. Alexander Lives!

Alexander the Great
It is an extraordinary book for youngsters which gives both history and adventure. I already knew the biography of Alexander but I wanted it in story-form and this book is the best.I'm glad I didn't have to wait till I'm old enough to read Alexander's story in Mary Renault's version with all the extra spicy bits.(I haven't read it, my dad told me about it). (...)

A winner in all aspects
First I would like to mention that I have read all of Kazantzakis's work in Greek, and most of it in English. The translation of this book if very good, and most of the meaning of the original text is properly conveyed. Kazantzakis aspect of Alexander the Great is a Greek's point of view. Nevertheless Kazantzakis, like in all his works (Zorba the Greek and The Last Temptation to name but a few) is very critical towards his subject. He is not a writer that writes only about the merits of his characters but also on their weeknesses. Even though the imperialistic aspect of Alexander the Great is a thing few people can imagine as proper nowadays, it was very correct and normal at the time he used to live. Indeed through conquering and slaughtering he brought Greek civilisation to the ends of the known world of his time. A book written in simple language (Kazantzakis idiom language, unfortunately could not be translated) but full of meaning. Two thumbs up. ... Read more

Product Description
Now a major motion picture, The Last Temptation of Christ is a monumental fictional reinterpretation of the Gospels by one of the giants of modern literature. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (91)

A Christ of two tales
I decided to read "The Last Temptation of Christ" because one of the reviews of "The gospel According to Jesus Christ" by Jose Saramago suggested Kazantzakis did it better. (Both books, of course, have been translated into English for us uneducated Americanos.)
While I find Saramago's lack of punctuation and rambling prose strangely fascinating, I failed to appreciate the Greek nuances of Kazantzakis.
The main characters of both books were mere rats caught in a trap, but I found the intimate portrayal of Saramago to be more thought provoking and my first choice, if I had time to read only one of the books.
However, if you have the time, read both, then the four certified gospels, and even the alleged Pauline texts, to be fair, and then compare them all.
Both authors offer an interesting point of view, although I would consider the Saramago novel to be better paced.But, both are will worth the read.

A Masterful and Moving Re-Imaginingof the Gospel Story
Quite frankly, this is Kazantzakis'masterpiece. Taking a theme that he is probably best known for exploring in Zorba, he explores the struggle between the physical and the spiritual or contemplative life. In Last Temptation the scope and artistic courage required to examine this theme in the life of Jesus Christ must have been a daunting undertaking. This is a book of incredibly beautiful imagery. Some of the familiar gospel scenes are portrayed with an intensity of language that had me stunned at the quality of the vision Kazantzakis was pursuing and the ability to give the main characters from Jesus' life flesh and blood characterizations that give the scenes an earthy and human aspect.
At the same time he employs artistic license freely and his Christ is as much of a human as he is a God. There are passages that are integral to the novel that would be considered controversial at the time this was written and in our own time as well. The ending is a sweeping re-imagining of the Passion of Christ that is one of the most poetic passages in literature and yet it remains respectful of the faith of Christians. This is not an anti-religious work but a haunting work of art that uses the best known of all stories to explore timeless themes. Approach with an open mind and you will be rewarded.

Excellent read
The book was a gift for my husband and he is reading it with enthusiasm.

A Master Piece
The Last Temptation of Christ by Nikos Kazantzakis can be described as a book of brilliant writing. Kazantzakis has taken the story of Jesus Christ and brought it to life after nearly two thousand years. The opening of the book with a dream sequence and taking Jesus forward into the tumult is a very scholarly way. The book deals with every day life and challenges, temptations faced by Jesus in moving from a man to a philospher and towards God. He faces many of the tribulations where people around him question his beliefs as he preaches love in order to bring mankind closer, in peace. He scorns the corruption and practices of the rich, temple high priests and people in power. Finally he sacrifices himself. This book is a screen play and one wonders why it took so long to be made into a film and the subsequent controversy by religious right. The Catholic Church has banned this book. What a colossal mistake. This book makes one understand the love of Jesus better than what is written in Bible and should be read by any one who wishes to know about true christianity and its core message as it originated in the Middle East in Israel. Unfortunately this message of Jesus has been taken and trampled with later by so called people of faith. It has been contradicted by the followers to-day from its original message of love and compassion, into a puritanical and self serving business. It was a matter of time when Christianity would be colonised for profit. Kazantzakis makes this very obvious without coming out and telling it. To excommunicate him because of this is unpardonable and denying him a noble prize is a failure to recognise this great writer. Many lesser writers of english literature were given the noble prize. This book is a must read for all people, irrespective of religious faiths, if you want to know the real Jesus Christ, the messaih.

LIFE CHANGING
Honestly, this is the most life-changing book about Jesus Christ that I have ever read.

It made knowing Him in a whole new way that was, for the first time, completely approachable. Truth be told, the modern Christian Jesus is hardly someone I can relate. It has been difficult to actually be able to see Him as a model for Christian living.

The Last Temptation of Christ offers a look at the Christ that is encouraging, gritty, and full-frontal look at how I can be more like him. ... Read more

Product Description
This autobiographical novel is one of the last things written by Kazantzakis before he died in 1957. It paints a vivid picture of his childhood in Crete, and then steadily grows into a spiritual quest that takes him to Italy, Jerusalem, Paris, Vienna, Berlin and Russia. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Great book, great price
This is a fantastic book that not many booksellers seem to have.Fortunately this one did and for a great price. Great condition.It just took a while to get it, likely since it was coming from the U.K. to US

A different perspective on "hoping for nothing, fearing nothing" and being free
This book was a total eye-opener for me.It reveals that this (almost) Nobel Laureate, revered by millions as a literary giant, and master of his fate, striding through life confidently, not beholden to any political, religious, or social doctrines he deemed oppressive, has a side that is much at odds with his public avatar.
In "Greco" I learned that this man who declared and then (we believed) lived up to, his eloquent ode to personal freedom:"I hope for nothing, and I fear nothing and so I am free" tells us that in fact, at his core, he experiences a very different reality--and he shares this truth with us with humility and brutal honesty: he is naked, tormented, and very often helpless in his inner life.
While reading this ostensibly unfinished work, I had a hard time fathoming how such a beautifully written and non self-sparing autobiography could have improved in rewriting, on communicating what I see as its central theme--a vivid account by Kazantzakis of formative childhood experience, including key traumatic events, and of how these became entrenched in his unconscious as relentless (and to the end unyielding) forces that dominated his life choices and outcomes. "Report to Greco" reveals his inner demons (no exaggeration in choice of word) as he recounts key childhood memories.He then proceeds to how these demons worked on him, and how he entered a lifelong attempt to tame them; throwing his daunting weapons at them--his massive intellect, his profound aesthetic sensibility, and his ultra "alpha male" drive and passion--to little avail.
In other works (The Last Temptation of Christ, and Christ Recrucified) Kazantzakis dishes out a caustic critique of how Christianity, in practice, is often a force and a cover for evil-- (Of course, he is excommunicated by its leaders for this heresy). In "Greco" we see Nikos K's earliest volleys against Orthodox Church dogma. Yet we learn that though he marshalled an impressive public challenge to his religion's hold on men, in his inner fantasy life he could never shake off the gaze of an angry and vengeful God who thereby never stopped owning him.
The Christian demons were in fact enmeshed in Kazantzakis' psyche with his second major tormentor and source of inner terror--the female body. When Nickos was about 15, he had his initiation to sex.Though his partner was a totally unthreatening non Greek-speaking Irish girl, the SETTING for the forbidden deed turned out to be unfortunate.K and his Irish maiden made love on a secluded hilltop which featured a small church. On the walk up the hill, hand in hand with the girl, NK was marveling that he was free and clear of the guilt and fear that had until then thwarted his sexual longing. Just as he was finally consummating it however, he looked toward the church, and was confronted by what he experienced as a truly terrifying sight--The icons were glaring at him!Mary was looking at him with fierce reproach, and the eyes of God were boring into him with condemnation and wrath for defiling their holy abode by performing this sinful act in front of it.
NK abandoned his mission and practically ran down the hill, recoiling in fear from his bewildered partner.He never approached her again, and for many years, his head spun about sex and femaleness. This weird "out of left field" expansion of terror from God and Mary to his woman accomplice, and from there to WOMAN in general, does in fact have a second source--another very frightening memory, one which sprang from his discovery at a very young age of the corpse and grave of a dead woman which immediately spawned nightmares and visions of disintegration and of being swallowed by the earth. These were ultimately incorporated into his unconscious scary representation of women.
"Report to Greco" goes on to show how in early adult life, NK had several very intimate but platonic relationships with women who were much older, motherly and thus unthreatening. (His relationship with his own mother was in fact an island of peace and unconditional love, and undoubtedly eased the establishment of what became the very positive incarnation of woman as mother in NK's mind).
In his musings later about his beloved Greece NK imagines 'her' as either a noble Ancient Greek nymph/maiden (never old enough to be sexual), or an embracing mother whose soil serves both as the "womb" that spawns and nurtures the Greek, and as the ground which opens to cover him protectively in death.However this same womb and same earth take on a more malignant cast when viewed in the form of the younger woman, whose "womb" recalls the `dangers' of sex -God can smite you when he catches you with his omniscient eyes, or should you escape this, you might be engulfed in the act--since entry into woman is through the same opening that swallows you whole in the end!
This amazing exploration by Kazantzakis of his own primitive unconscious (psychiatric term of the inner--and in most people largely suppressed--workings of the psyche) offered in "Report to Greco", has a depth comparable to Freud's most detailed "Case studies" of neuroses Three Case Histories(which followed years of probing into each of his patients' unconscious).Niko K's "case" is presented by the subject himself, and reveals a remarkable self-portrait--one which depicts him as far removed from personal freedom, (and running from, rather than vanquishing, that which oppresses men from within), even as he wages an iconoclastic battle against established oppressors of public man. In the end his epitaph reports him as dead yet free...perhaps the opposite is true:though never achieving freedom, in his striving bravely, and in then sharing his dreams and acts in gorgeous prose, he has become immortal among men.

Report to Greco
This book was used in a class I am taking, Nikos Kazantzakis: A Life of words in Search of Spirituality and the Meaning of Life".
It is a book that makes a person think and has created many wonderful discusions in our class.

A stunning book by a brilliant author
I cannot write as eloquently as the previous reviewers, but I could not agree more with their assessments and descriptions of this book. It is a lush accounting (albeit with some embellishments)of his life and his search for meaning and connection to the ultimate source of life. Its not always an easy book to read, but it never fails to elevate the reader and drive you to his final understanding of what his life was about. I think that this, and The Last Temptation of Christ are among the most beautiful and spiritual books I have ever read. I highly recommend them both.

I am really disappointed!!!!
I have this book in Arabic and I decided to read the english version, but to my utter disappointment i could not find such a great book on amazon!!!..

So Amazon, I need that book desperately... help !!!!... What is the answer?!!!!!!! ... Read more

Product Description
A fiftieth anniversary edition of the famous novel that inspired the film tells the story of Zorba, a philosophizing, larger-than-life mine owner who confronts life with exuberance and wit. Reprint. 10,000 first printing. NYT. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (79)

Great!!
The book arrived on time and was in practically new condition. I would buy from this vendor again.

Philosophy at its finest
Great story of philosophy and how one man views the world around him and how one man affects the lives of others.The author was able to convey his thoughts to me clearly and in a way that made me think of changing my perspectives on life.This is a must read for anyone.

Feeling a sense of euphoria from the depth and beauty of this book
This book is about the ultimate quest of coming to terms of the phenomenon of living--in mind and body, in intellect and flesh/instinct, in abstracts and passion.It is deeply philosophical however the lovable characters make the discussion real, enjoyable and relatable, not absurd or pretentious.And the poetry is so spectacularly beautiful and powerful, I cried and laughed, and in the end wished I could memorize the whole book just for the sake of its beauty--"I looked through the steamy windows at the awakening port resounding with the ships's sirens and the cries of carters and boatmen.And, as I looked, an invisible net, woven from sea, air and my departure, wound its tight meshes round my heart." (P.4) "I felt once more how simple and frugal a thing is happiness: a glass of wine, a roast chestnut, a wretched lettle brazier, the sound of the sea.Nothing else.And all that is required to feel that here and now is happiness is simple, frugal heart." (p.80) "To live far from men, not to need them and yet to love them.To take part in the Christmas festivities and, after eating and drinking well, to escape on your own far from all the sanres, to have the stars above, the land to your left and the sea to your right: and to realize of a sudden that, in your heart, life has accomplished its final miracle: it has become a fairy tale." (p.118)I finished this book at midnight and the euphoria kept me up for another hour, that's how good this book is.

Undisturbed humanity
This is a nice book. It decribes the adventures of the narrator (an intellectual) and Zorbas who is an utterly uneintellectual man, apparently original a Macedonian, Zorbas background is very modest, somewhat working class or peasant. Zorbas is a quite fascinating figure and becomes quite much alive. Zorbas has travelled around the Balkans living from day to day, from the hand to the mouth. He has seen many things, (and in the Balkans around the beginning of the 20th century - there was also bad things to see!) so Zorbas very well knows that life is not perfect. Yet a cardinal trait of Zorbas character is that he seems to rest in life and apparently he finds it worthwile. Zorbas seemingly is "home" in life. There execudes from the novel a Joie de vivre, it's like the characters often simply are in a state where life is ok. There is a feeling in the novel which reminded me a bit about the novel "Mister God, This Is Anna" by Fynn (Sydney Hopkins). It's this thing about that despite life is terrible imperfect then you can live in a place where you are "home" and it's ok.
Zorba the Greek also offers a substantial critique on religion, which are impersonated by various monks and church people which Zorba and the narrator encounters. Zorba breathes life. Zorba is by no means a saint, he is also quite imperfect himself and a bit of a devil sometimes.

Great story of life
As with so many of his books Nikos Kazantzakis tells a tail of life lived for the journey.This is his best work in a small paperback the captures all of life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Yes, Homer's Ulysses was a Manly Man
If you've recently read Homer (possibly for an anchor to Joyce) and concluded that Ulysses was a bit over the top, Kazantzakis is a joy compared to Joyce.Earthy, yes.Beautifully translated, oh yes.Best read all three at the midpoint of your life and chew on them for the second half.

Best read straight through without stopping
I read this in a period of weeks while homeless in a city, each day I would return to the library and read another huge section,never missing a day...the incredible prolixity and repetition, far from being burdensome, were like great rolling waves of majesty and freedom upon which I floated until the last cantos, surely one of the greatest climaxes in all world literature, brought me to rest and peace as Odysseus was united with Christ, and sailed off through the ice. And then I knew that for the rest of my life I would be as free as Odysseus had showed me how to be in this work. How's that?

Mithras and Apollo
I read Kazantzakis absorbing and compelling verse novel over a two-month period, rich and crazy as a Christmas fruit cake, and only to be nibbled in small doses.This is a deeply flawed work of consumate art; flawed, because it expresses a weltangshaung and philosophical stance utterly at odds with the complexities and values of the human spirit which it still succeeds in celebrating in verse of passion, intensity and beauty.Flawed, because it defines the human spirit in terms of the unsubtle, extroverted, violence of masculinity at its most obnoxious, a Nietzschean ubermensch driven to sweep through the human mind like a panzer division; flawed because it present a vision of utter and self-serving solipsism.

But of consumate art in that within those paramaters it creates, with a richness and intensity rarely encountered in modern literature, a detailed, elaborate and sensory world of image, passion and experience; and in positioning the human spirit dancing at the edge of the abyss, in celebrating the defining moments and relationships of life, it ultimately triumphs over its own weakness.

Its stages of the soul's evolution, its imagery and its passionate invocation of the sun link it with the old warrior-cult of Mithras; and while the leopards, elephants, drunkards and maenads seem at first more of Dionysos, the elegance and elegaic elements also link the work with the Greek Apollo, and the discipline of an exact and exacting verse.

Essential to an understanding of the twentieth century vision - and also to an understanding of what made so many of us passionately feminist.

No hopeNo despair
A long, long time ago, I read this book and it changed the way I read literature. Kazantzakis' book goes beyond writing - it is a vivid exploration of the flame that consumes man. To go back to reading the frivolous so-called literature of today almost seems pointless. I am just thankful that Kazantzakis left us with such a rich body of work to read.The libraries were full of his books twenty years ago, but today I rarely find them on any shelf. To those of us who were lucky enough to discover him early, we know that he is the best kept secret of the twentieth century.

Homer would have loved it
This is the best book I have ever read. Granted, I have read it in greekbut still, there is no match. Homer would have loved his hero over again. ... Read more

Product Description
This is Kazantzakis's modern "Iliad". Set in late-19th-century Crete, when a new uprising takes place to rival those of 1854, 1866 and 1878. In the village of Megalokastro, a Cretan resistance fighter named Captain Michales, is matched by the Turkish bey, his blood-brother. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Timeless and Inspiring
I was kind of surprised not to see any reviews on this amazing novel by Nikos Kazantzakis. Let me start by saying that I 've read this novel only in the original Greek version. Nevertheless, I feel I can comment on the content and the feelings that this "journey" inspired me.

I originally felt that you have to be Greek to really feel the intensity of the ideas that storm through this story that takes place during the Greek Revolution era (1820's) against the Turkish oppression in the island of Crete. However, any reader can rise above the distinctive historical and cultural context (which with marvel you will experience its description) and get swept by the powerful ideas of love for one's home, love for one's family and such love for one's freedom that death is a duty. It is suggested however to familiarize yourself with some facts about Kazantakis' life and work by reading "Report to Greco" or/and his classic "Zorba the Greek". The fight for freedom is an idea that can be symbolized in many aspects of our lives and that sadly has now become a very commercial and misunderstood concept. It is in this book however that I read about it being given in its purest form as the ultimate fight for an idea that is more precious than life itself. The title of the book encompasses its substance: it is Freedom AND Death.

The writing by Kazantzakis is greatly colorful with beautiful details that create the reality of that time. At the same time, his writing is very affecting; being a Cretan himself you can see his deep love for his home testified on the pages. This is not an easy read, I feel you need to be in a specific mood to engage in this book since it requires your soul to be present and not just your mind. It is emotionally drenching, the human struggles (both psychological and physical, inner and overt) depicted are fiercely touching and the glorious and bloody climax builds up in a ceremonial way. In the end of this book I trully experienced a catharsis, for the first time at such strength, having gone through so many emotional stages with the characters and the plot of the story. As in other Kazantakis books, people might find sexist elements or even misogyny, but bear in mind the historical era and the patriarchic structure of society at the time.

I realize this review is quite personal, but I just felt the need to share my thoughts and feelings about this masterpiece. Approach this novel with an open mind and an open heart and I assure you, you will be rewarded. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Not his best work, but still quite good
The Greek Passion covers a lot of the same themes in Kazantzakis' classic, "Zorba the Greek"---the hypocrisy and corruption of the Church; the mindless, infantile and equally hypocritical and corrupt tendencies of the common masses; the "holy hooker" archetype, etc.It also contains a character who, much like Kazantzakis' Jesus in "The Last Temptation of Christ," is basically a simpleton who's clearly been "chosen" by God to become a spiritual leader and eventual martyr.

Except here the characters are drawn a bit more crudely, more like caricatures, for the most part.And Kazantzakis does reveal his own admiration and reverence for those rare AUTHENTIC Christians whom he portrays as being routinely ostracized and oppressed by the Church and the common mob.

The book is quite absorbing after the first twenty pages or so, steadily building narrative tension and suspense.You'll enjoy it, but keep your expectations modest.

Yet another saintly person suffers for everyone's sins
_The Greek Passion_ is a work of art written by a genius who undeniably knew his own people.Nikos Kazantzakis transports the story of the passion of Jesus Christ to a Greek village that is under the control of the Turks during the final years of the Ottoman Empire.This version of the passion is one of great beauty and is told with tremendous fervor and emotion.Here, a simple, innocent shepard receives blame for, then accepts personal responsibility for the sins of his neighbors so that their lives may be spared.The shepard and his followers are called bolsheviks and worse because they believe that a band of starving refugees from another village, which includes children with distended bellies, should be fed and clothed from the storehouses and the homes of some of the wealthy community elders.Two aspects of religion are shown:
a hypocritical priest who is so concerned with protecting his power and authority that he panders to the enemy, a Turkish Agha, over the welfare of the Greek people; and, a saintly priest, who acts in the true spirit of Christianity by endeavoring to relieve his peoples' suffering.The forces of these two disparate priests eventually clash and the results are both tragic and heartbreaking.It is apparent that very little has changed since the time of Jesus.Special interests are still putting up road blocks to prevent the meek from inheriting the earth. _The Greek Passion_ is a novel that the admirers of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and perhaps even Jesus Christ, himself, would love.

A Book for the Whole World
I think there is no doubt that in this book the writer tells the story for the whole world not just for Greece.The story happens in a little village that is a sign of the whole world. Kazantzakis tells us a story of a cruel man who just likes to kill people.We can clearly see the scream of the author for liberity.He tells us that living like Jesus has it's own way which is fighting for truth and against the lies.
I think that by reading this book we can not stay silence anymore against the lies in our world.

So-so
As with all his books, rich imagery. Not as good as "last temptation of Christ" I was stuck by the cruelty that the hero Manolios did to the woman who sacrifice her life for him. He is all politically correct andlukewarm to her. Even when she died he didnot feel slightest trace ofsadness but went around saying that he envied her because she is in heaven.If that is what follow Christ lead to I want no part ofChristianity!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Myth or Reality?
Kazantzakis masterfully transcribes the many trials and tribulations of a Greek Mountain Village.He definitely digs deep into the contradiction that is religion and life.While many have been turned off by Kazantzakis'realism(commotion raised by "The Last Temptation of Christ" beingturned into a movie), it would most certainly be to their advantage to readKazantzakis for the characters which he creates.To this end Kazantzakisis unparalelled(If you haven't already, score yourself a copy of"Zorba the Greek" to see what I mean.His concentration on theevils that guide men through their actions really makes this novel move. In the end we are left to ask ourselves if these characters, and thismountain village really exist or not.The answer--You tell me. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Village Life, Oppression, Struggle for Life
The life in the village revolves around the seasons, with accurate and colorful detail one senses the natural flow of "the way it should be" however there is an ominous "presence" that threatens the natural order of things ... The main characters are Father Yanaros and Captain Drakos, and the supporting cast includes, Leonidas the student, Hadjis the well-traveled one, Kyriakos, and Dimos an elderly peasant, Panagos (the barber), Kosmas, Stratis. Levi and a variety of others who feel like real people.. The struggle for freedom and the need to sustain life during oppression and occupation is intensified and illuminated. The resolution of social problems and role of religion and the church in balancing the good and evil in society is the main theme. The battle of the spirit against human frailties isKazantzakis' constant theme ... he excels in this area. This novel exemplifies the dynamic powers of description and characterization that has won Kazantzakis world-wide acclaim. Highly recommend this book to those who want to understand the constant battle to live in the midst of oppression. Erika Borsos (erikab93)

only one pot of basil in the whole village
Perhaps the least well known of Kazantzakis' bleak beautiful epics, The Fratracides is as in-depth examination of the effects of oppression as I have discovered.The book is set in a mountain village in Greece duringthe Turkish occupation.While on the surface it is about a revolutionaryfaction and it's resistance to the occupation and the villager'sresistance, and occasionally support, of that faction, the book alsooperates on several, more intriguing levels. It examines the differenthuman responses to domination as clearly as any sociology book, but withcharacters, words, and images that worm their way around your head in a wayno textbook ever could.The fatalism of the of the literally hungryviolence-sick villagers, the power-hungry priest grabbing at straws, thezeal of the revolutionary leader, the sensual despair of the townMagdalene; the characters manage to function symbols of human reactions aswell as fully dimensional people. Kazantzakis is the master of the life ofthe world vs. the life of faith dilemna and that dynamic most certainlyplays out in this work, though in a different way than in most of his otherwritings.It is not just one person struggling with the meaning of faith,but a whole community embodying the various aspects of that particulardrama.The Fratracides is, I would say, the hardest of Kazantzakis'fictional writings in the sense that he gives the reader very little tohope for.But, when you stop to think about it, how appropriate. Occupation and violence are not necessarily situations in which hope is afacile option.The writing is solid; Kazantzakis has the profound abilityto distill human experience emotion into dense stones that pave thevillages and hills where the action takes place.The Fratricides is uniquein it's ability to be spiritual without being dogmatic, analytical withoutbeing dry, and thouroughly beautiful both in story and writing. ... Read more

Product Description
With the help of the princess Ariadne and other friends in the palace at Crete, Theseus enters the Labyrinth and slays the hideous Minotaur, thus spearheading the resistance of the Athenian people against King Minos. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Poorly written and full of errors
"At the palaces of Knossos" is a far cry from Nikos Kazantzakis' rich and exuberant style, which is unrecognizable in this book.

The prose is poor and stilted, to the degree that you have to wonder if a ghost writer was used for this story. The message is truly simple-minded, opposing the "decadent" Minoans and the "youthful" Athenians in such a black-and-white manner that you feel ashamed for the writer. As for the atmosphere, it feels like a modern story, and does nothing to try and describe what the Minoan civilization must have been.

The research is atrocious, full of anachronisms and errors. A couple of examples:
- in the book, Phaedra is Ariadne's older sister. Phaedra really is the younger sister;
- in the book, young Theseus gives a gift of a cup engraved with an image of Odysseus. In actuality (if he really did exist), Odysseus came in a generation later than Theseus and would not have been born then.

I could go on for a long time. I bought this book to give my pre-teenage son good reading material before visiting Crete. After reading it, I am tossing it and giving my son "The king must die", by Mary Renault, an infinitely better book on the topic.

In conclusion: avoid this book at all costs. It would be a disservice to give this book to a young reader, as it will foster wrong information and impressions about the times.

All the Elements of a Classic
How do you write a "children's" book that will hold readers' interest 50, 100 years from now? James Barrie, Francis Hodgson Burnett, and Terry Pratchett have. So has Nikos Kazantzakis.
This book is a gem, and deserves much wider recognition.
Mythology is usually presented, even in the much-lauded D'Aulaire series, as little more than a plot line. Here, the familiar story of Theseus and the Minotaur is enriched with well-developed characters. My favorite is Princess Ariadne: as imperious, sensitive, and curious as Elizabeth Tudor in her youth. Kazantzakis describes the splendors of the Minoan city-palace as lushly as one can infer from the historical artifacts that have been unearthed, then he enriches the picture with details of folkways that still exist today in Greece.
What raises this book from the merely entertaining to the classic is the author's dedication to his real mission: to impart the great truths of the world to his young readers. In the Palaces of Knossos, we learn a little about the nature of despotism, and how to test the long-term viability of a civilization beyond the veneer of its present power and wealth.
Teachers and parents, read this wonderful book, and be awed and entertained yourself before you read it to your kids. While you're at it, bring out a book like BBC's Civilizations by Jane McIntosh and Clint Twist so your charges can see the strange and beautiful paintings from the palace of Knossos of bull-leaping youths, the bronze dagger that Theseus himself might have carried, and one of the odd little iconic statues of the Great Goddess worshipped throughout ancient Crete.

at the palaces of knossos
This novel derives from a series of stories written byKazantzakis for a youth's magazine. The novel utilizes Kazantzakis'graceful style to add even more magic to this fantastic myth. In the beginning, a young traveler is found surveying the grounds of the Palace of Knossos, raising suspicions with security guards and catching the eye of the young princess Ariadne.The young traveller turns out to be Theseus, a prince who desires to free his people from the tyranical King.Included is the infamous minotaur and many greek gods. This novel remains interesting and exciting all throughout the story, and can be recommended to any age group.END ... Read more

Product Description
The inhabitants of a Greek village, ruled by the Turks, plan to enact the life of Christ in a mystery play but are overwhelmed by their task. A group of refugees, fleeing from the ruins of their plundered homes, arrive asking for protection - and suddenly the drama of the Passion becomes reality. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Discover This Profound Modern Masterpiece
A perfect novel and not to be missed.

Profound, harrowing, and bursting with the fullness of the human heart-- also boisterous, merry, and bitingly satiric.

And Unceasingly Entertaining.

The year leading up to Easter week and the performance of the town's Passion Play finds the people of this Ottoman-occupied Greek village becoming transformed by Christ's story, as author Kazantzakis' novel encapsules the very history of the Christian Church.
His is a fiercely nature-centric vision of Man's rude and clamorous confrontation with the struggle for right-ness, for rightousness in the face of smothering societal hypocrisy.

Funny and sardonic, shocking and brutal, and often deeplybeautiful, Christ Recrucified get's my highest recommendation.

Outstanding book
As far as depictions of the life of Christ, "Christ Recrucified" (also published as "The Greek Passion") is far superior to the better known "Last Temptation of Christ" by the same author.

This novel is set in a little Greek village during the time of the Turkish occupation. Starting with the assignment of roles of villagers to play in the annual passion play, the novel turns into a real passion play.

The village elders, a dismal lot of overfed, oppressive, back- biting types, pick various villagers to play roles in the once- every-seven-years passion play. However, Manolios (chosen to be Christ for his gentle looks) and three friends, chosen as apostles, are humbled by the honor and inspired to begin to struggle with God's will. The crisis is provided by a band of refugees from another village. Run out by the Turks, they seek sanctuary in this village only to be refused both land and food by the village elders who fear their corrupting influence and the loss of revenue. The contradiction between the words of Christ, and the actions of those who claim leadership of the church and the village lead Manolios and his friends to ask dangerous questions. The elders, as elders tend to do, are reluctant to give up any power, and not inclined to accept theological analysis from those who they command. Eventually, the passion is acted out for real, with Manolios accused of treason and the sleepy Turkish overlord acting the part of Pilate to perfection.

Liberation Theology is a term we associate with the Roman Catholic Church in Latin America, but I would suggest that this work, dating from 1953, has anticipated the movement in amazing detail. Such standard concepts of Liberation Theology as "the preferential option for the poor," "base communities," reading the Bible out of experience rather than theology, and so forth, are portrayed here as Manolios and his friends struggle with what God has to say to them.

It wakes up your senses
It's explosive, tragic and sad. It's got strong characters which make you thinks about your artificial senses and the truth ones...
It was very interesting, I'd never read such kind of book before.

But there IS a film ...
Jules Dassin filmed Kazantzakis' "Christ Recrucified" in 1957 as a French/Italian co-production under the title "Celui qui doit mourir"with Jean Servais, Bert Fröbe and Dassin's then-future wife Melina Mercouri in her first movie.It had a brief run on the US 'art house' circuit as "He Who Must Die",
This is one of very few films that have stayed on my mind over the years, as has the book for that matter. "On the Waterfront", "Les enfants du Paradis" and "From Here to Eternity" are others in that select group, but this one hits a lot harder and deeper.
AFAIK the movie has not (yet) been released on DVD, but if it ever is I'll be sure to buy a copy. Meanwhile, the book (which has a far less grim ending BTW) will do. Read it and weep.

A passion play that'll play passionate havoc on your senses
Brilliant!The only book ever that I couldn't put down after starting.I read it over 14 hours in one sitting and the only thing that eclipsed the sensations the novel instilled in me was the epic thought that I had really, truly and for the first time read a book that physically, emotionally, intellectually drew me in so much that I couldn't put it down.Unputdownable? I can't get the thing out of my head!Like all Kazantzakis' novels the characters are drawn so roundly that you begin to cheer and seethe when they make an entrance.Really fully formed people inhabit this story - and what a story it is.A passion play takes on a mind of its own when the characters in character for the play begin to lose their grip on what is real and what is imaginary.It is explosive, sad, thrilling, genuinely laugh out loud funny, desperate, tragic, joyous.A wonderful book.Clips by a hair, the great Zorba.Now someone should make a movie out of this one..... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

To
This book combines passages from Kazantzakis's philosophical "The Saviors of God: Spiritual exercises" and from his travel book "Japan-China". He traveled to the Far East in 1935, the same year his essays were published in an Athenian newspaper.
The book was reviewed for TIME magazine in 1963, and the review can be found here:
[...] ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Not even close to the Greeks
This book offers what most authors are afraid or fear to talk about into their books about cultural diversity. The reader has the ability to review who these people are and how the great mind of the author interpreted theirsocial system, religion, customs. If one decides to take the long journeythe author is suggesting in this book, he/she will not view people the sameway he/she did in the past. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Know ye not that we are gods?
Written about 1923, this seems to me the greatest spiritual expression of all his works. Nikos knows the Christ of the SWORD, action, dynamis. He says, "The essence of God is struggle." He knows that we are experiences OF God, in a grand struggle. Each is a god in his own play, struggling and warring, loving and hating, EXPRESSING God fully and genuinely - and all that without hope, believing that nothing truly exists. The alternative is to acquiesce and find contentment in non-struggle, lukewarm, doomed, and worthless. For a reader who still thinks religion is compatible with spiritual realization, this book will offend you. For one who has challenged all the boundaries, here is a flying carpet to something much higher. ... Read more

Product Description
First English translation of Nikos Kazantzakis’s 1909 doctoral dissertation on Nietzsche. ... Read more

Product Description
Marking the fiftieth anniversary of Kazantzakis's death, Darren J. N. Middleton looks back on Kazantzakis's life and literary art to suggest that, contrary to popular belief, Kazantzakis and his views actually comport with the ideals of Christianity. ... Read more