Books by Nikos Kazantzakis
Nikos Kazantzakis (1993-1957) was a journalist and novelist who was born in Crete. He is still the most translated modern Greek writer, with his novels Zorba the Greek and The Last Temptation of Christ turned into blockbuster movies.
“This is a novel by Nikos Kazantzakis, who is the serious modern Greek novelist. If you’re in Greece on holiday, and you have good lighting at night and no young children, this is the book to read. It’s thought-provoking and rich in descriptions. It recreates the moment of the Cretan revolution, which came later. There was a Muslim population on Crete, all of it Greek speaking, none of whom had ever been to what today we call Turkey. So it’s heroic and also tragic, both at the same time. The story centers around the friendship of two people—a Greek community leader, who is a sort of bandit, and one of the Ottoman rulers. They had been friends, but slowly the friendship becomes impossible, because they cannot get past these mass mobilizations on both sides.” Read more...
The best books on Modern Greek History
Yanni Kotsonis, Historian
Interviews where books by Nikos Kazantzakis were recommended
The best books on Modern Greek History, recommended by Yanni Kotsonis
If you’re heading to Greece this summer, it might be worth learning more about the modern history of the country you’re visiting. Yanni Kotsonis, a professor of history at NYU and author of The Greek Revolution and the Violent Birth of Nationalism, recommends a variety of books to get you started, from a short history of Greece to a novel by one of the country’s greatest writers.
