From the Bookshelf of Never too Late to Read Classics…

Zorba the Greek

Nikos Kazantzakis

Start date: September 1, 2018

Finish date: September 30, 2018

Discussion: Lesser Know/Wilderness Classics

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What Members Thought

Oct 02, 2009 Chrissie rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2014-read, greece, philo-psychol, audible-us, fiction, classics, religion

Nikos Kazantzakis is buried in Heraklion, Crete. The epitaph on his gravestone reads, "I hope for nothing. I fear nothing. I am free."

If that speaks to you, if that makes complete sense to you, read this book.

The book is much better than the film starring Anthony Quinn! Both the book and the film are full of life - both the good and the bad. You must live life to the fullest. You must appreciate the good and survive the terrible. You must fight. I love the philosophy espoused. While the film ma Nikos Kazantzakis is buried in Heraklion, Crete. The epitaph on his gravestone reads, "I hope for nothing. I fear nothing. I am free."

If that speaks to you, if that makes complete sense to you, read this book.

The book is much better than the film starring Anthony Quinn! Both the book and the film are full of life - both the good and the bad. You must live life to the fullest. You must appreciate the good and survive the terrible. You must fight. I love the philosophy espoused. While the film makes the central theme clear, the book is more nuanced and gives a more in-depth view of the author's thinking. What is the purpose of life? How should it be lived? Death - Zorba says he does not fear death but neither does he like it. When you read this book all these philosophical questions are what you think about. If you do not like philosophical books, this novel isn't for you.

Christianity is a central theme. There are two main characters- one is Zorba and the other is an unnamed narrator. One is "religious" and one isn't. Both are good people. Both are searching for answers. This offers a good balance, and I appreciate that the author presented the story in this manner.

Women are another central theme. You may not agree with Zorba's / Kazantzakis' views on women, but he certainly appreciates, enjoys and loves them. You have to keep in mind this is writing from an earlier era. The book was first published in Greek in 1946, in English in 1952. It doesn’t seem all l that dated to me, but then I was born in the fifties! I suppose I am dated too. He loves women as they are and that is enough for me. That isn’t to say that he never got my hackles up.

And there is humor too – at the stupidity of man, at intellectualism and what is done in the name of religion.

George Guidall is the narrator of the audiobook. As stated there are two main characters. The unnamed narrator, who tells the story, is an intellectual. Guidall’s tone for this man made me wince, but more so in the beginning than in the end. That was when I realized how well Guidall had perfectly captured not only the two characters but also how the unnamed narrator had changed. I loved Zorba’s voice. When you listened you always knew who was speaking simply by Guidall’s tone. Excellent narration!

I am no Zorba, but I still admire him and wish I could be more like him!

************************

Before reading:

Yes, of course I must read this. I saw the movie ages ago and loved it. The philosophy, even back then was exactly to my liking. Do people ever really change?

Thanks, Julia, for reminding me about this book!
...more

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Nov 15, 2009 Janice rated it it was amazing

One of the best books I ever read. The one that attracted me to the Greek culture and to the many wonderful books of Kazantzakis who should have been given a Nobel Prize. He was considered but because of his political point of view he was brushed over too many times. Whether you should live your life as though you will live forever or live your life as if it were the last day is the important life choice I took away from this wonderful novel.

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Dec 12, 2010 Eshaneh rated it really liked it

I thought it was slow at first, especially since I saw the movie some time ago. I was also annoyed by Zorba's talk about women. But overall, I thought it was a compelling story with well-drawn characters.

I left my copy in a lovely small hotel in Chania, Crete. It seemed fitting. ...more

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Jul 17, 2019 Caitlin Channer rated it it was ok

Shelves: classics, fiction

I liked the writing and the characters' friendship. The book itself had a slow plot, most of it being long soliloquies of Zorba's love life. It just dragged on a bit (audiobook was nearly 13 hours). ...more

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Jul 11, 2018 Mary Paul rated it it was ok

There are a few chunks of good advice here, but they’re wildly overshadowed by the emo kid narrator and super misogynistic treatment of ladies. Blecgh.

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