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.
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.
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.
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.
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