Publisher’s write-up:
‘Zorba the Greek, Nikos
Kazantzakis’ most popular and enduring novel,, has its origins in the author’s
own experiences in the Peleponnesus in the 1920s. His swashbuckling hero has
legions of fans across the world and his adventures are as exhilarating and
exciting now as the were on first publication in the 1950s.’
Zorba the Greek is a novel
written in the 20th Century – originally written in Greek set in the
island of Crete. The book mainly features a mysterious character going by the
name Zorba, who accompanies the narrator to the island of Crete and works as
his foreman for coal mining.
The book is set in the early 20th
century, after the first world war, wherein the narrator is impacted by the
departure of his friend’s departure to the Caucasus, to fight for the ethnic
Greeks in the region. The author being an intellectual, wanted to leave his
books aside for a while and take a break in Crete, under the guise of mining
coal. This is where he meets Zorba, in the ship – a personality he finds to be
interesting and at the same time, highly eccentric. The two have contrasting
views of the world and unlike the narrator, Zorba is a man of action and
experience, and does not find a meaning in the intellectual pursuits of the
narrator.
The best part of the book is the
location – the fact that it takes place in Crete. This is from the perspective
of an outsider, wherein, most of the Greek literature I have read is from
ancient times and this is the first book that I am reading that has been
written in the 20th century and that I could read the description of
a modern Greece. I also liked the interactions between the two main characters,
where at one point, the narrator does feel that Zorba is the person who is
living the life that he wishes to live, though he is not accepting of Zorba’s impulsive methods.
While I repeatedly asserted that
the book is featuring a modern Greece, however, there are instances that could
be shocking to the average reader as to how regressive the outlook was, towards
women and also for what reasons the people are willing to kill another human
being (this is towards the end, I would not go into details at the risk of
spoiling the book).
Personally, I had a split opinion
on Zorba, where his views towards women were regressive, to the extent that he
doubted whether they were part of the same species, but at the same time, he
supported certain other ideas that I liked – such as being someone from that
period, he rejects ideas of irridentism, going on to say that Greeks attempt to
take over Constantinople is as good as a Turkish attempt to take over Athens
and it should not be pursued. While I preferred the character of the narrator
more, this was where I preferred Zorba’s views, in the topic of irridentism.
There were also several minor
characters who were used well, particularly, that of Madame Hortense, the
manager of the inn where the two characters stay. There is also a romantic sub
plot between Zorba and Hortense and while Zorba was unaffected by almost any
event, we could see the emotional side of him when there was a tragedy that
struct Hortense.
Having said that, the story is
not for everyone – to the extent that some might wonder if there is a plot at
all or just one man describing his holiday for a month. However, I would not go
too much into that considering that was the narrator’s aim as well, to escape
his routine. Another point that disturbed me was I could not quite understand the
adulation of Zorba by every character, I found him a bad person who was morally
compromised and I found the character of the narrator much better.
I understand that this book is a
translation, however, I do not know the reliability of it – to give the
context, I read this book for a book club (discussion in French) and I found that
the French edition was significantly bigger than the English version – and the
difference I was told was that my edition was a 1950s translation where there were
a lot of cuts, and the more recent editions are elaborate and authentic. If
anyone wishes to read, I recommend to buy a more recent translation than mine.
To conclude on the book, the
highlights of the book is the rural setting in Crete, the two main characters
and the narration by the writer. A little further focus on the philosophical aspect
could have made it better, and considering my overall experience, I award the
book a rating of seven on ten.
Rating – 7/10
Have a nice day,
Andy
