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Great Translations: Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis
This is really a story about contrasting philosophies of life. A young, introverted, bookish man learns about life from an older man who has seen it all and done it all and just keeps on going. Many people have seen the 1964 British-Greek comedy-drama film adaptation starring Anthony Quinn as Zorba — the highest-grossing film that year.
The Setting: Published in 1941, the story is set on the Greek island of Crete sometime after WW I. It’s based on a real person, George (Alexis) Zorbas (1862–1941), who was at times a shepherd, a woodcutter and a miner. When the author became good friends with him, he was a monk.
Some SPOILERS follow:
The Story: A wealthy young man (thirtyish) hires Zorba to run his coal mine and tree harvesting business on the Greek island of Crete. Zorba not only runs the entire business and the hiring and supervision but even the financing as well as doing physical labor. Zorba calls the younger man ‘boss.’
“I looked at Zorba in the light of the moon and admired the jauntiness and simplicity with which he adapted himself to the world around him, the way his body and soul formed one harmonious whole, and all things — women, bread, water, meat, sleep — blended happily with his flesh and became Zorba. I had never seen such a friendly accord between a man…
