Nikos Kazantzakis – författare

This moving fable sees a young Greek writer set out to Crete to claim a small inheritance. But when he arrives, he meets Alexis Zorba, a middle-aged Greek man with a zest for life. Zorba has had a family and many lovers, has fought in the Balkan wars, has lived and loved - he is a simple but deep man who lives every moment fully and without shame. As their friendship develops, he is gradually won over, transformed and inspired along with the reader.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 now as they were on first publication in the 1950s.'There can never be any doubt that Kazantzakis was the possessor of genius.' Sunday Telegraph

Kazantzakis's autobiographical novel Report to Greco was one of the last things he wrote before he died. It paints a vivid picture of his childhood in Crete, still occupied by the Turks, and then steadily grows into a spiritual quest that takes him to Italy, Jerusalem, Paris, Vienna, Berlin, Russia and the Caucasus, and finally back to Crete again. At different times Nietzshe, Bergson, Buddha, Homer and Christ dominate as his spiritual masters.

Freedom and Death is Kazantzakis's modern Iliad. The context is Crete in the late nineteenth century, the epic struggle between Greeks and Turks, between Christianity and Islam. A new uprising takes place to rival those of 1854, 1866 and 1878, and the island is thrown into confusion yet again. In the village of Megalokastro a Cretan resistance fighter, Captain Michales, is matched by the Turkish bey, his blood-brother. The life of the local community continues shakily, but is disrupted by explosions of violence.

Kazantzakis's classic novel, blacklisted by the Vatican, filmed by Scorsese, has been labelled heretical, blasphemous, and also a masterpiece. His Christ is an epic conception, wholly original.'When Kazantzakis describes the raising of Lazarus, the early life of Mary Magdalene, the domestic lives of Martha and Mary, it is as if an old box of lantern slides had suddenly become a moving picture. The author has achieved a new and moving interpretation of a truly human Christ.' Times Literary Supplement

The Fratricides is about internecine strife in a village in the Epirus during the Greek civil war of the late 1940s. Many of the villagers, including Captain Drakos, son of the local priest Father Yanaros, have taken to the mountains and joined the Communist rebels. It is Holy Week and, with murder, death and destruction everywhere, Father Yanaros feels that he himself is bearing the sins of the world.

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.

The life of Nikos Kazantzakis—the author of Zorba the Greek and The Last Temptation of Christ—was as colorful and eventful as his fiction. And nowhere is his life revealed more fully or surprisingly than in his letters. Edited and translated by Kazantzakis scholar Peter Bien, this is the most comprehensive selection of Kazantzakis's letters in any language.One of the most important Greek writers of the twentieth century, Kazantzakis (1883–1957) participated in or witnessed some of the most extraordinary events of his times, including both world wars and the Spanish and Greek civil wars. As a foreign correspondent, an official in several Greek governments, and a political and artistic exile, he led a relentlessly nomadic existence, living in France, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Soviet Union, and England. He visited the Versailles Peace Conference, attended the tenth-anniversary celebration of the Bolshevik Revolution, interviewed Mussolini and Franco, and briefly served as a Greek cabinet minister—all the while producing a stream of novels, poems, plays, travel writing, autobiography, and translations. The letters collected here touch on almost every aspect of Kazantzakis's rich and tumultuous life, and show the genius of a man who was deeply attuned to the artistic, intellectual, and political events of his times.

Nikos Kazantzakis is no stranger to the heroes of Greek antiquity. In this historical novel based on the life of Alexander the Great, Kazantzakis has drawn on both the rich tradition of Greek legend and the documented manuscripts from historical archives to recreate an Alexander in all his many-faceted images: Alexander the god; Alexander the descendant of Heracles performing the twelve labors; Alexander the mystic, the daring visionary destined to carry out a divine mission; Alexander the flesh-and-blood mortal who, on occasion, is not above the common soldier’s brawling and drinking.The novel, which resists the temptation to portray Alexander in the mantle of purely romantic legend, covers his life from age fifteen to his death at age thirty-two. It opens with Alexander’s first exploit, the taming of the horse, Bucephalus, and is seen in great part through the eyes of his young neighbor who eventually becomes an officer in his army and follows him on his campaign to conquer the world.The book, which was written primarily as an educational adjunct for young readers, is intended for the adult mind as well, and like the legends of old, is entertaining as well as instructive for readers of all ages. It was originally published in Greece in serial form in 1940, and was republished in a complete volume in 1979.

Blending historical fact and classical myth, the author of Zorba the Greek and The Last Temptation of Christ transports the reader 3,000 years into the past, to a pivotal point in history: the final days before the ancient kingdom of Minoan Crete is to be conquered and supplanted by the emerging city-state of Athens. Translated by Theodora Vasils and Themi Vasils.The familiar figures who peopled that ancient world-King Minos, Theseus and Ariadne, the Minotaur, Diadalos and Ikaros-fill the pages of this novel with lifelike immediacy.Written originally for an Athenian youth periodical, At the Palaces of Knossos functions on several levels. Fundamentally, it is a gripping and vivid adventure story, recounted by one of this century’s greatest storytellers, and peopled with freshly interpreted figures of classical Greek mythology. We see a new vision of the Minotaur, portrayed here as a bloated and sickly green monster, as much to be pitied as dreaded. And we see a grief-stricken and embittered Diadalos stomping on the homemade wax wings that have caused the drowning of his son, Ikaros.On another level, At the Palaces of Knossos is an allegory of history, showing the supplanting of a primitive culture by a more modern civilization. Shifting the setting back and forth from Crete to Athens, Kazantzakis contrasts the languid, decaying life of the court of King Minos with the youth and vigor of the newly emerging Athens.Protected by bronze swords, by ancient magic and ritual, and by ferocious-but-no-longer-invincible monsters, the kingdom of Crete represents the world that must perish if classical Greek civilization is to emerge into its golden age of reason and science. In the cataclysmic final scene in which the Minotaur is killed and King Minos’s sumptuous palace burned, Kazantzakis dramatizes the death of the Bronze Age, with its monsters and totems, and the birth of the Age of Iron.

Newly translated, this classic novel is sure to delight readers of all ages as it explores the legendary conqueror’s life, ambitions, and humanity.Nikos Kazantzakis’s Alexander the Great is a biographical novel about one of antiquity’s greatest political and military leaders. In Kazantzakis’s story, Alexander of Macedonia does not conquer for conquest’s sake; instead, he seeks to spread the light of Hellenism to the known world, unite humanity through Greek ideals and culture, and bring together East and West.The story begins in Pella, the lavish capital of Macedonia, in the fourth century BCE. A teenager named Stefanos rushes to the royal stadium for a remarkable event that has drawn every male citizen of this capital city: the taming of a wild and uniquely powerful horse named Bucephalus. Relying on raw strength and force, even seasoned generals fail to subdue Bucephalus; but through skill, kindness, and insight, the fifteen-year-old Alexander is able to befriend the beast. Alexander’s symbolic taming of chaos foretells his rise to power and demonstrates the qualities he will carry with him throughout his lifelong campaign of conquest.Through the eyes of Stefanos, who becomes Alexander’s personal attendant and most trusted companion, Kazantzakis follows the Macedonian army through triumphant campaigns across Persia, Egypt, and India, greatly expanding the boundaries of the ancient Hellenic world. Kazantzakis presents Alexander not only as an ingenious military strategist but also as a reflective human being. Alexander oscillates between the human and the divine but will ultimately be betrayed by the former. Kazantzakis narrates Alexander’s struggles and conquests all the way to Babylon, where he meets his untimely death at just thirty-three years of age.This iconic novel also explores Alexander’s profound relationship with his mentor, Aristotle, who instills in him a lifelong thirst for knowledge. Alexander the Great offers a compelling blend of history, myth, and philosophy and will appeal to readers fascinated by ancient Greece, epic heroes, and humanity’s timeless quest for the meaning of life.

A captivating retelling-newly translated-of the rise and fall of the Minoan civilization interwoven with some of ancient Greece’s most enduring mythsAt the Palaces of Knossos is a vivid reimagining of ancient Crete, blending history and mythology into an epic tale of heroism, love, and destiny. Set against the grandeur of the Minoan court, the novel brings to life the legendary stories of Theseus, the Minotaur, Ariadne, Daedalus, and Icarus.The story follows Theseus, the prince of Athens, who arrives in Crete as part of the annual tribute of young Athenians sent to feed the monstrous Minotaur. Determined to end this brutal cycle, he infiltrates the labyrinthine palace of Knossos, where he crosses paths with Princess Ariadne. Struggling between loyalty to her people and her love for the courageous stranger, Ariadne risks everything to help Theseus in his quest.Through the eyes of palace attendants, acrobats, and the inventor Daedalus and his son Icarus, Kazantzakis transports readers into the splendor of Minoan culture-its sacred rituals, breathtaking bull-leaping ceremonies, and vibrant city life. But as Theseus prepares to face his destiny, a tragic chain of events unfolds, leading to heartbreak, betrayal, and the downfall of a once-mighty civilization.Rich with philosophical depth and lyrical prose, At the Palaces of Knossos is more than a mythological retelling-it is a meditation on power, freedom, and the eternal struggle between fate and human will. Perfect for fans of historical fiction and Greek mythology, this novel offers a compelling journey into one of the ancient world’s most fascinating eras.

Gottfried Grunewalds översättning av Nikos Kazantzakis Odysseia tjugoandra sången.

Gottfried Grunewalds översättning av Nikos Kazantzakis Odysseia tjugotredje sången.

Gottfried Grunewalds översättning av Nikos Kazantzakis Odysseia tjugofjärde sången.

First English translation of Nikos Kazantzakis's 1909 doctoral dissertation on Nietzsche.This book represents the first English translation of Nikos Kazantzakis's 1909 dissertation on Friedrich Nietzsche's political and legal philosophy. Before Kazantzakis became one of the best-known modern Greek writers, he was an avid student of Nietzsche's thought, discovering Nietzsche while studying law in Paris from 1907 to 1909. This powerful assessment of Nietzsche's radical political thought is translated here from a restored and authentic recent edition of the original. Its deep insights are unencumbered by the encrustations that generations of Nietzsche's admirers and detractors have deposed on the original Nietzschean corpus. The book also offers a revealing glimpse into the formative stage of Kazantzakis's thought.