Zorba the Greek

Zorba the Greek (Βίος και Πολιτεία του Αλέξη Ζορμπά, Life and Adventures of Alexis Zorbas) is a novel written by the writer Greek Nikos Kazantzakis, published in 1946. It is the story of a young English intellectual who escapes from his monotonous and boring life with the help of the boisterous and mysterious Alexis Zorba. It was adapted in 1964 to the cinema in the version directed by Michael Cacoyannis, of the same name, as well as to a musical in 1968.

Plot

The book opens in a Piraeus cafe just before dawn on a stormy autumn morning in the 1930s. The narrator, a young intellectual, decides to put his books aside for a few months after to be encouraged by the words of a friend, Stavridakis, who has dropped out of school to go to the Caucasus to help ethnic Greeks who are suffering persecution. He sets out on a journey to Crete in order to reopen an old lignite mine and immerse himself in the world of peasants and working-class people.

You are about to dive into your copy of "The Divine Comedy" when you feel that you are being watched; he turns around and sees a man in his sixties looking at him through the glass in the door. The man walks in and immediately approaches him to ask for a job. He claims to be an expert as a cook, miner and player of the santur and introduces himself as Alexis Zorbas. The narrator is fascinated by Zorba's lascivious and expressive language and decides to give him a job as a foreman. On their way to Crete, they discuss a number of topics, and Zorba's soliloquies set the tone for much of the book.

Upon their arrival, they refuse the hospitality of Anagnostis Kondomanolious, the local cafe owner, and follow Zorba's suggestion that they go to Mrs. Hortensia's hotel, which is nothing more than a row of old bathing stalls. They are forced by circumstances to share a booth. The narrator spends the day describing the island, whose landscape reminds him of "good prose, carefully ordered, powerful and sober", and reading Dante. Returning to the hotel for dinner, they invite Senora Hortensia to her table and make her talk about her past as her courtesan. Zorba nicknamed her "Bouboulina" and, with the help of her cymbal, he seduces her. The protagonist's spirit boils in her room as he listens to the sounds of her passionate love.

The next day, the mine is opened and work begins. The narrator, whose socialist ideals lead him to try to fraternize with the workers, is warned by Zorba that he must keep his distance. 'Man is a beast. If you are cruel to him, he will respect and fear you; if you're nice to him, he'll gouge out his eyes. For his part, Zorba is immersed in the task, which is a characteristic of his attitude: to be absorbed in what one is doing or who one is with at the moment. Quite often, Zorba works endless hours and asks not to be interrupted during work.

The narrator recovers his enthusiasm for life together with Zorba and the people around him, but, in the end, tragedy will mark his stay in Crete and he will return to his land completely ruined. His farewell to Zorba is heartbreaking for both of them, who They will be remembered until their death.

Quotes from the text of the novel

• The meaning of words, art, love, beauty, purity, passion, all made clear to me by the simplest of the words of this worker.
• We should be hungry because we were constantly having the conversation about food.
  I remained silent, ashamed. My heart had never been able to reach that height of nobility and compassion.
• The highest point that a man can achieve is not knowledge, virtue, goodness or victory; there is something greater, more heroic and desperate: sacred fear.
• I felt once again how easy it can be to achieve happiness: a glass of wine, roasted chestnuts, a brave waiter, the sound of the sea... And nothing else. And all you need to feel here and now it's a simple, frugal heart.

At the movies

Zorba the Greek was made into a British film in 1964, written, produced, directed and edited by Michael Cacoyannis and with Anthony Quinn, Alan Bates, Irene Papas and Lilia Kédrova in the leading roles. She was awarded three Oscars in 1965, in the categories of Best Supporting Actress (Lila Kedrova), Best Cinematography (Walter Lassally), and Best Art Direction (Vassilis Photopoulos).

The music composed for the film by Mikis Theodorakis, known as Zorba's Dance, is a widely recognized element.

At the theater

In Argentina

In 2003, the theatrical version of Zorba, the Greek was professionally produced, produced by Alejandro Romay, with the following cast: Raúl Lavié, María Rosa Fugazzot, Miguel Habud, Julia Zenko, Rubén Ballester, Alejandro Viola (later replaced by Gustavo Monje), Marcelo Trepat, Andrea Mango and Roberto Fiore.