Zorba the Greek

This Simon & Schuster edition presents Kazantzakis's most celebrated novel, originally published in Greek in 1946 and translated into English in 1952. The novel established Kazantzakis as one of Greece's most important modern writers.

The story follows a young Greek intellectual who travels to Crete to reopen a lignite mine and encounters Alexis Zorba, an older Greek laborer full of vitality and passion for life. Through their friendship, the narrator learns to embrace life's sensual and emotional dimensions beyond mere intellectual understanding. Zorba's exuberant personality and philosophy of living fully contrast with the narrator's scholarly detachment, creating a profound meditation on how to approach existence.

The novel explores fundamental questions about the tension between intellect and instinct, thought and action, Apollo and Dionysus. Kazantzakis's portrayal of Zorba became an archetype for passionate, authentic living that influenced popular culture and philosophical discourse. The book's existentialist themes and celebration of life's intensity resonated with post-war readers seeking meaning and authenticity.

Kazantzakis based Zorba on a real person, Georgios Zorbas, whom he knew personally and who worked in his family's lignite mine. The 1964 film adaptation starring Anthony Quinn made Zorba a global cultural icon and popularized Greek culture worldwide. The novel's famous scene of Zorba dancing on the beach became symbolic of joie de vivre and liberation from social constraints.