{"id":2679,"date":"2017-07-02T13:25:23","date_gmt":"2017-07-02T10:25:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/e-inon.gr\/magazine\/?p=2679"},"modified":"2017-07-20T21:03:02","modified_gmt":"2017-07-20T18:03:02","slug":"the-books-of-nikos-kazantzakis-are-absent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/e-inon.gr\/magazine\/2017\/07\/02\/the-books-of-nikos-kazantzakis-are-absent\/","title":{"rendered":"THE BOOKS OF NIKOS KAZANTZAKIS ARE \u201cABSENT\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\u201cThe peculiar spiritual hostage of Nikos Kazantzakis should be stopped, so as to continue to constitute him as one of the most significant expressionists and representatives of Greek literature in the international cultural limelight\u201d was referred to the resolution of 28th June 2009 by all the participants of the International Scientific Convention on the topic of \u201cthe publishing destiny of the work of Nikos Kazantzakis\u201d, which was held in Herakleion, Crete.
\nThe resolution was signed by the author Cleopatra Prifti, the president of the Greek Department of the International Association of Nikos Kazantzakis\u2019 friends.
\n\u2013 More particularly,\u00a0 during the Convention which was held by the Prefectural\u00a0 Local Government of Herakleion, the municipality of Herakleion, the municipality of Nikos Kazantzakis, the International Association of Nikos Kazantzakis\u2019 friends, the Museum Nikos Kazantzakis and the International Council of Cretans, it was ascertained that:
\n\u2013 The translations of his works are old and hard to find, while in most countries they have been sold out many years now.
\n\u2013 At the same time, the rare books that circulate in Greece reflect old times\u2019 aesthetics, without any sort of editor\u2019s attention and without those elements that make an edition attractive to the reader of today.
\n\u2013 Most of the titles of his books are absent from the bookstores, as it is evident from the proposals of prominent scientists and students, while the records about his life and his work which are kept in the \u201cEditions Nikos Kazantzakis\u201d, are difficult for the students to have access.
\nAlso, the condition and the quality of his translations were discussed realized in the following countries: France, United Kingdom, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, Chile, Ukraine, Romania, Georgia etc. along with the need to reedit new translations.
\nNikos Kazantzakis\u00a0 died in October 26th\u00a0 in 1957 and wrote according to the files of the Nikos Kazantzakis\u00a0 Museum: 15 novels, 9 traveler\u2019s, 2 poetry books, 18 theatrical plays, 4 essays and philosophical books while his translations are divided into 7 literary books, 10 philosophical books \u2013scientific books, a biography and 16 adaptations for children\u2019s books.
\nIt is also referred in the Museum\u2019s records that \u201cI was born in the Megalo Kastro in Herakleion, the capital city of the Turkish dominated Crete in February 18th, 1883.
\nAfter the outbreak of the last Cretan rebellion, Kazantzakis family was settled down in Naxos, where they remained for almost two years. Nikos starts his high school studies in the French Business School of Timios Stavros, which was run by Franciscan monks. He learns French and Italian and becomes to know European literature; however he mostly gets acquainted with western civilization and culture.
\nIn the fall of 1902, Kazantzakis moves to Athens to study in the Law School. In December 1905, he was awarded the diploma of doctor of Law with honors. In the same year his first novel \u201cSnake and Lily\u201d was published. For a period of time he was established in Athens and cooperates as a columnist in Acropolis newspaper.
\nIn October 1907, he leaves for Paris, where he continues his studies in the Law School, while simultaneously; he attends the lectures of the philosopher Henry Bergson in the Coll\u00e8ge de France. At the same time, he becomes acquainted to Nietzsche\u2019s philosophy and completes his thesis with the title \u201cFrederick Nietzsche in the philosophy of the right and the state\u2019, which was completed in 1909. Parallel, he is occupied with his literary work. Since April,\u00a0 he settled down in Athens and a little later he starts living together with Galateia whom she will marry a year and a half later.\u00a0 During the Balkan wars, he joined the army as a volunteer and served his country in the private office of the Prime Minister Elefterios Venizelos.
\nHis acquaintance with Sikelianos in 1914 opens a new chapter of spiritual quest. From the fall of 1917 until January 1919, Kazantzakis travels to Switzerland. A little after his coming back to Greece, he was appointed general manager of the Ministry of Health and Relief and works for the repatriation of the Greeks from Kafkasos.
\nThe defeat of Venizelos in the elections of 1920 meant the end of his service in the Ministry of Health and Relief. Disappointed by the political developments and the assassination of his friend Ionas Dragoumis, the writer goes to Germany (January 1921).
\nReturning, he lives withdrawn in Kifissia with his friend K. Sfakianakis and works on the tragedy \u201cChrist\u201d. Then, when he reassures cooperation with the editor D. Dimitrakos, he leaves for Vienna.
\nSince the fall of 1921, he establishes in Berlin. He works in the \u201cAskitiki\u201d, attends the Convention of the Reformers of Education, gets to know the \u201ccircle of fire\u201d by Rachel Lipstein and gets influenced by Lenin. During summer 1923, he tours around Germany and visits Nietzsche\u2019s birthplace. In the beginning of 1924, he travels to Italy and remains to Assisi until April.
\nA little while after his return to Greece, Kazantzakis meets Eleni Samiou, the woman who was destined to accompany him in the rest of his life. He remains in Herakleion for a whole year. He starts the inspired composition of Odyssey and probably writes the Symposium. Additionally, he designs, without success, though, illegal political activities, a fact that resulted in his arrest and his twenty-four hours detention in the Investigation Department of Herakleion.
\nSince October 1925, a new period of travels around the world starts for Kazantzakis. His travels and hard work will help him endure the death of his parents. (1932).
\nIn the face of the Greek-Romanian writer Panait-Istrati he believed that he had found another spiritual companion while his acquaintance with Prevelakis will give him a loyal friend and devoted student. During the Occupation, Kazantzakis mainly stays in Aegina. In 1942, he goes to Athens where he meets Sikelianos after twenty years and asks from the professor on Homer I.Kakridis some reference books to translate Iliad. After the Germans\u2019 withdrawal, he returns to the capital city, which is shattered by violent civil clashes, and he develops political activity. He offered himself as a candidate for the\u00a0\u00a0 Academy of Athens, but fails for two votes and was elected president of the Association of Greek Literary men. During the summer of 1945, he tours in Crete as a member of a government committee that ascertains German Violence. In November 1945, he marries to Eleni Samiou and is appointed as a Minister without portfolio in the Government of Sofoulis but three months later he resigns.\u00a0 In the beginning of 1946, he attends the performance of his play \u201cKapodistrias\u201d in the Royal Theater and in May he was suggested as a candidate for the Nobel Prize along with Angelos Sikelianos.
\nIn the summer of 1946, as it is proved, Kazantzakis leaves permanently for Europe. He stays in England for a time, invited by the British Council, and then he settles down in Paris where he was appointed literal counselor in UNESCO.
\nIn March 1948, he resigned and permanently established in Adib in the French Cote d\u2019Azur.
\nSince 1951, his heath constantly deteriorated. He lost his right eye, while at times he was admitted to the University Clinic of Freiburg to cure the benign lymphoid leukemia that tantalized him. Despite all this, he commenced cooperation with Kimon Freier for the translation of the Odyssey in English. His work, however, causes reactions from religious circles that asked his prosecution.
\nIn June 1957, Kazantzakis leaves Adib and travels with Eleni and Evelpidis couple to China invited by the Chinese government.
\nAlthough, Kazantzakis is vaccinated for smallpox and cholera, he is infected and is under treatment in the National Hospital of Copenhagen. As his condition worsens, he is transferred to the University Clinic of Freiburg. Even though it seems that he overcomes infection, he is affected by Asian flu and dies in the 26th October 1957 in Freiburg. His body was transferred by road from Freiburg to Athens and by plane to Herakleion, where the public paid respects in Saint. Minas Church. His funeral was held on 5th November, in the fully-populated Herakleion. He was buried in the bastion of Martinego.\u201d
\nFinally, concerning the place that the Cretan author is buried it is noted down: On the grave there is a big wooden cross from unrefined trunks and the sign: \u201cI hope nothing, I dread nothing, I am free\u201d.<\/p>\n

INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONVENTION<\/strong>
\nHerakleion & Myrtia (Varvaroi)
\n27th & 28th June 2009
\nEveryone that participated in the International Scientific Convention on the topic of \u201cthe publishing destiny of the work of Nikos Kazantzakis\u201d, (introducers, listeners, organizers), discovered the tragic situation that occurs regarding the circulation of the work of the Cretan writer.
\n\u2013 The translations of his works are old and hard to find, while in most countries they have been sold out many years now.
\n\u2013 At the same time, the rare books that circulate in Greece reflect old times\u2019 aesthetics, without any sort of editor\u2019s attention and without those elements that make an edition attractive to the reader of today.
\n\u2013 Most of the titles of his books are absent from the bookstores, as it is evident from the proposals of prominent scientists and students, while the records about his life and his work which are kept in the \u201cEditions Nikos Kazantzakis\u201d, are difficult for the students to have access.
\nWE REQUEST<\/strong>
\nFrom every state or private authority in charge to directly contribute so as this peculiar spiritual hostage of Nikos Kazantzakis is stopped, in order to continue to constitute him as one of the most significant expressionists and representatives of Greek literature in the international cultural limelight.<\/p>\n

Myrtia (Varvaroi), 28th June 2009
\nCleopatra Prifti
\nWriter
\nPresident of the Greek Department
\nof the International Association of Nikos Kazantzakis\u2019 friends.<\/p>\n

Source of publication\u00a07th issue In-On<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe peculiar spiritual hostage of Nikos Kazantzakis should be stopped, so as to continue to constitute him as one of the most significant expressionists and representatives of Greek literature in the international cultural limelight\u201d was referred to the resolution of 28th June 2009 by all the participants of the International Scientific Convention on the topic […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2476,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[635],"tags":[1994,1973,1275,1981,1974,1978,645,1955,1987,304,146,1993,1975,1989,1995,1997,1985,1606,1984,1988,1539,2001,632,972,1628,646,41,812,1991,1996,1992,1998,1066,1999,1983,1654,2000,1238,200,1977,1980,2002,1986,1951,1976,1990,1982,1979,1313,1609,1622],"class_list":["post-2679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-personalities-of-crete","tag-askitiki","tag-association-of-nikos-kazantzakis-friends","tag-athens","tag-biography","tag-books","tag-chile","tag-china","tag-cleopatra-prifti","tag-college","tag-crete","tag-culture","tag-dimitrakos","tag-editions","tag-elefterios-venizelos","tag-eleni-samiou","tag-england","tag-european","tag-france","tag-franciscan","tag-galateia","tag-georgia","tag-german-violence","tag-greece","tag-greek","tag-health","tag-herakleion","tag-in-on","tag-in-on-magazine","tag-kafkasos","tag-kapodistrias","tag-kifissia","tag-martinego","tag-museum","tag-myrtia","tag-naxos","tag-nikos-kazantzakis","tag-odyssey","tag-paris","tag-personalities-of-crete","tag-portugal","tag-romania","tag-sikelianos","tag-snake-and-lily","tag-spain","tag-sweden","tag-switzerland","tag-turkish","tag-ukraine","tag-unesco","tag-united-kingdom","tag-university"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/e-inon.gr\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2679","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/e-inon.gr\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/e-inon.gr\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e-inon.gr\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e-inon.gr\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2679"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/e-inon.gr\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2679\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3468,"href":"https:\/\/e-inon.gr\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2679\/revisions\/3468"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e-inon.gr\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/e-inon.gr\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2679"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e-inon.gr\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2679"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e-inon.gr\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}