Zorba the Greek

I read Zorba The Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis in a comparative literature class in the middle 80's. I don't remember it so much, and I thought I would reread it. I've been rereading things because I am a much more careful reader, with a lot more life experience, and theoretical and cultural experience. 

I was slightly interested because I saw somewhere where the book was considered Buddhist literature. Here is a quote from the book:

"All these things which had formerly so fascinated me appeared this morning to be no more than cerebral acrobatics and refined charlatanism! That is how it always is at the decline of a civilization. That is how man’s anguish ends—in masterly conjuring tricks: pure poetry, pure music, pure thought. The last man—who has freed himself from all belief, from all illusions and has nothing more to expect or to fear—sees the clay of which he is made reduced to spirit, and this spirit has no soil left for its roots, from which to draw its sap. The last man has emptied himself; no more seed, no more excrement, no more blood. Everything having turned into words, every set of words into musical jugglery, the last man goes even further: he sits in his utter solitude and decomposes the music into mute, mathematical equations.

I started. “Buddha is that last man!” I cried. That is his secret and terrible significance. Buddha is the “pure” soul which has emptied itself; in him is the void, he is the Void. “Empty your body, empty your spirit, empty your heart!” he cries. Wherever he sets his foot, water no longer flows, no grass can grow, no child be born.

I must mobilize words and their necromantic power, I thought, invoke magic rhythms; lay siege to him, cast a spell over him and drive him out of my entrails! I must throw over him the net of images, catch him and free myself!

Writing Buddha was, in fact, ceasing to be a literary exercise. It was a life-and-death struggle against a tremendous force of destruction lurking within me, a duel with a great NO which was consuming my heart, and on the result of this duel depended the salvation of my soul.

With briskness and determination I seized the manuscript. I had discovered my goal, I knew now where to strike! Buddha was the last man. We are only at the beginning; we have neither eaten, drunk, nor loved enough; we have not yet lived. This delicate old man, scant of breath, has come to us too soon. We must oust him as quickly as possible!

So I spoke to myself and I began to write. But no, this was not writing: it was a real war, a merciless hunt, a siege, a spell to bring the monster out of its hiding place. Art is, in fact, a magic incantation. Obscure homicidal forces lurk in our entrails, deadly impulses to kill, destroy, hate, dishonor. Then art appears with its sweet piping and delivers us."

That is just one of many quotes. I think the word liberty is used a lot and the idea of Buddhist liberty is consider frequently. Also communining with great poetry like from Dante was to transform slavery to freedom.

Information for references in novel (I'm sure I've missed quite a few, but here are some):

Panait Istrati: Briefly mentioned in passing.

Dante: Narrator talks about reading Dante.

Rembrandt: Has the bloke with a helmet they mention, not the warrior, which doesn't have a helmet.

Rodin's Hand of God sculpture.

Anemoi: The winds mythology.

Novo Russia: New Russia

Marika Kotopouli

Links:

Zorba The Greek (Wikipedia)

George Zorbas (Wikipedia)

Someone's lessons from Zorba (Learned Living)

The Dance from the movie ending. (YouTube)

The Dance in a flash mob. (YouTube)