Nikolas Kazantzakis

[Promethean Fire]

Owning a delux copy of the "Last Temptation of Christ" on DVD i must say i have an infamous respect for the man. I knew little of him untill my mum told me he actualywroete Zorba the Greek aswell and i have readon is background now.

He seems a very coplex man not knowing the purpose of his existance like most of us, and he seeked to fund himself spending time with German philsophers and traveling and meeting new people.

I found this interesting piece on him.

Composed while in Berlin in 1923, in 1927 Kazantzakis published in Greek his "Spiritual Exercises," known as The Saviors of God, translated and published in English in 1960.

The figure of Jesus was ever present in his thoughts, from his youth to his last years. The Christ of the The Last Temptation of Christ shares Katzantzakis' anguished metaphysical and existential concerns, seeking answers to haunting questions and often torn between his sense of duty and cause on one side and his own human needs to enjoy life, to love and to be loved, and to have a family. A tragic figure who at the end sacrifices his own human hopes for a wider cause, Kazantzakis' Christ is not an infallible, passionless deity but rather a passionate and emotional human being who has been assigned a mission, with a meaning that he is struggling to understand and that often requires him to face his conscience and his emotions and ultimately to sacrifice his own life for its fulfilment. He is subject to doubts, fears and even guilt. In the end he is the Son of Man, a man whose internal struggle represents that of humanity.

Many Greek religious conservatives condemned his work. His reply was: "You gave me a curse, Holy fathers, I give you a blessing: may your conscience be as clear as mine and may you be as moral and religious as I" (Greek: "Μου δώσατε μια κατάρα, Άγιοι πατέρες, σας δίνω κι εγώ μια ευχή: Σας εύχομαι να ‘ναι η συνείδηση σας τόσο καθαρή, όσο είναι η δική μου και να ‘στε τόσο ηθικοί και θρήσκοι όσο είμαι εγώ").


The thing i loved about his movie is that he shows Jesus as a normal human being seeking spiritual guidance and facing human temptation righ till then end where the devil tempts him one more time, and shows his life if he chose to have a family and just be a common man.

Its one of my all time favourite films and go out and rent it, trust me its very under rated.

[pankration]

I read the book last summer while in Santorini (that was a spiritual experience!). I can see why the Catholic Church banned it; it brings a humanity to Christ that many do not wish to acknowledge. In my opinion, the humanity that Kazantzakis describes is what made Jesus holy. The recognition of one's own fallibility is what brings the sacrednous out of the soul. Read the book. I'll watch the movie again.

[Boreas]

Kazantzakis was one of the most important writers and philosophers of the 20th Century. His writings have been a constant source of inspiration to me since I first saw the film "Zorba the Greek" as a child. I have since sought out as many of his books as I can find.

[Euklid]

The book Asketike or otherwise known as "Salvatores Dei" or the Saviors of God, that Promethean Fire mentions is FANTASTIC, i read it this summer, simply brilliant, his Pisteyo creed on the end:

"Pisteyo se ena theo, DIGENI AKRITA..." einai chilling.

As for the Last Temptation of Christ, its one of the few films that i have actually paid to own.

[zefs]

He got gyped by one vote to win a Noble Peace Prize.

[Boreas]

It was actually the Nobel Prize for Literature. He missed winning it by one vote in 1957 to Albert Camus, who later responded that Kazantzakis deserved the award "a hundred times more" than himself. He commanded a tremendous amount of respect among writers and intellectuals like Camus and Albert Schweitzer although he is mostly known for the two famous films based on his work (Zorba/Last Temptation). It would be great to see more films based on his work.

[zefs]

Sorry thats what i meant.

[Tsontos]

It's not much of a shame to lose to Albert Camus.

[pankration]

Originally Posted by Tsontos

It's not much of a shame to lose to Albert Camus.

Nevertheless Kazantzakis wrote of the human spirit better than anyone I know of. He celebrates humanity while never shying away from pointing out its weaknesses. The character of Zorba is easily one of the greatest characters of all time; he personifies the Hellenic spirit. Kazantzakis deserved that prize and losing to Camus may have been an honor but who remembers anything Camus did whereas everyone knows of Kazantzakis' characters.

[6seconds]

Originally Posted by pankration

Nevertheless Kazantzakis wrote of the human spirit better than anyone I know of. He celebrates humanity while never shying away from pointing out its weaknesses. The character of Zorba is easily one of the greatest characters of all time; he personifies the Hellenic spirit. Kazantzakis deserved that prize and losing to Camus may have been an honor but who remembers anything Camus did whereas everyone knows of Kazantzakis' characters.

The Zorba character is really interesting. He was from Thessaloniki and he took part in the battles against the Bulgarians and Turks. The adventures described by Kazantzakis in reality took place in Mani and not Crete. He later moved to Skopje and married a local woman. In the book (if a remember correctly) Scopje is described as being a part of Serbia (this was before Tito did his magic and created the "Macedonians). The children he had with the Skopjean woman are alive and well and identify themselves as Serbs. I think they're living in Belgrade.