My review of Zorba The Greek

(Note a shorter version of this review is at bakerland)

Though I love a good travel book to flip through, during and after a trip, there is something about the call of regional literature which makes my travel bug hum. On this particular trip I picked up a book I'd long desired to read but never given myself the chance - Zorba The Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis.

This novel is by a Cretan takes place almost completely in Crete, and is considered a great literary work to boot so the formula seemed right.

I've tussled with Kazantzakis once before (Last Temptation of Christ) and found his style to be a bit tough to crack. To grossly oversimplify, he spends a lot of time exploring the thoughts of his characters instead of letting actions unfold. More on this in a bit.

Starting a few weeks prior to the trip I dove in and quickly worked my way through half the book only to slow down (out of boredom for reasons mentioned and for a desire to finish the book while in Crete).

I'll avoid comparisons to the movie since I've not seen the well known film (though it is now atop our Netflix queue) which may very well have a different mood then the book.

The most striking aspect of this novel is how dark it is. So many people have referred to the buoyancy of Zorba and how he represents so much life and joy in living. I can't deny that he is a fascinating character but any attempt to place him on a pedestal seems unfounded to me. His personality is more akin to a firefly repeatedly ramming a light-bulb in the summer night. His efforts largely amount to naught and often become so perverse it is hard to grasp the humanity of Zorba. At best he is a manic depressive who is enlightening on the highs and quite during the lows.

The novel is presented from the perspective of the friend of Zorba and it is this narrator who's personality really drags the mood down. Zorba represents some lofty ideas (for the reader, author and narrator) which makes him hard to imagine being real and he seems more appropriate as a stand in for what the narrator longs for - some kind of Buddhist presences completely in the now.

I really struggled to find who was a redeemable character in the story.

As I struggled through the book I found myself trying to come up with what exactly is the author trying to critique:

• - Western Religion
  
• - Misogyny
  
• - Dated traditions
  
• - Male relationships
  
• - ???
  

The first two (Western Religion and Misogyny) consume much of the novel so I'm assuming these are his biggest concerns, but I'd really need to be a little more scholarly in my reading to go any deeper then that.

Much of the narrators angst is of his Buddhist writings he repeatedly references though he never describes in any detail. Here is why I feel Zorba seems the manifestation of those writings, kinda of a Buddha like id floating around the world and at the writings best he does take on such a child like revelry in life that it is admirable, but these moments seem fleeting and are quickly overcome by angst, fear, corporal pursuits or plain brutality.

It is tough to say how direct of a critique of Greek culture is in the book because there isn't much of that culture in there to delve into. This in fact was one of my bigger disappointments in the book as the story gave me more of a feel of these characters and less of a feel of Crete which is almost incidental to the narrators tale.

Some points easily missed (or maybe muddled by the movie's influence - I'm guessing on that of course):

• - The narrator is Cretan but Zorba is not. In fact, Zorba's nationality seems intentionally ambiguous. The spirit with which the narrator describes him it very much seems something other worldly. Don't get me wrong. Zorba is Greek as the book suggests, but he certainly does let that nationality keep him down. By books end I believe he has immigrated to Russia.
  
• - What is up with the narrator's relationship with his pen-pall friend. This is very odd and very close even though you never really meet this character?
  
• - Am I manifesting some 'latent' ability at Freudian Theory or rather I really feel there is some kind of homosexual subtext going on here. Not sure what to make of it.
  
• - Women are pretty much the toy of man (in particular Zorba). He claims great passion and he does do some things that are very admirable, but come on he is using them at the end of the day.
  

Did I enjoy the book? Yes.
Did it add to my trip to Crete? Yes, but not as much as I would have liked.
Would I recommend it? Probably not.