A FEW WORDS ABOUT THE KAZANTZAKIS PUBLICATIONS
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ikos Kazantzakis had almost always experienced difficulty in publishing his works, even in the last years of his life and his creative production, and this, more so in Greek, for his works had always enjoyed recognition and had been most received by the readership abroad with great speed. The great Cretan was an incurable world traveler, a tireless wanderer across the earth. His greatest benefactors were his journeys and his dreams, he once wrote, and he had many dreams and plans, and he did travel, as often as his circumstances would allow. These dreams, literal or figurative, in the paths of his spiritual ascent permeate the framework of most of his works. In his difficult work and spiritual journey, fate smiled favorably upon Kazantzakis in 1924, when he met the 20 year old Athenian, Eleni Samiou, with roots from Asia Minor and Crete. Eleni, who had been orphaned from an early age, became his lifelong partner and, as of 1945, his wife, and aided him in his struggle to transubstantiate Word into Light. On her small portable typewriter she typed, among others, seven times the entirety of Nikos Kazantzakis’s epic poem The Odyssey, which consists of no less than 33.333 verses.
Following his death, Eleni envisioned a publishing house which would publish exclusively the works of her unforgettable husband, Nikos Kazantzakis, with the highest philological and aesthetic standards. The KAZANTZAKIS PUBLICATIONS [PATROCLOS STAVROU], is the Publishing House which publishes and distributes the books of Nikos Kazantzakis as well as those of his wife Eleni N. Kazantzakis. The Kazantzakis Publications ensures that the works to which we hold the copyrights are published and made available to the readership. As a rule, we take care to enhance and enrich each new edition or reprint with illuminating commentaries, photographic material, and relevant texts. We continue our research for the collection and organization of Nikos Kazantzakis’ documents, mainly from newspapers and periodicals from the previous century. The fruit of this methodical philological labor is best exhibited in the publication – presented for the first time in complete book form, with rich contemporary commentary – of the novel Broken Souls (2007), which featured the 19091910 texts published as a series in the “Noumas” literary magazine.
We also take care to shed light upon lesser known aspects of his creative production, as for example, Nikos Kazantzakis’ doctoral dissertation entitled Nietzsche on the Philosophy of Right and the State, as well as his translation of Niccolò Machiavelli’s The Prince. Still, the Kazantzakis Publications is more than just a Publishing House; it is the spiritual residence of Nikos and Eleni Kazantzakis, the intellectual hearth of their work, and an information center for the research and continuous learning on the life and works of Nikos Kazantzakis. Countless, on a national and international level, are the scholars, students, professors, institutions, conference organizers,
associations and foundations who refer to us for assistance, guidance and information on Nikos Kazantzakis. Here you will find the works of the uncompromising Man of Crete, Nikos Kazantzakis, together with those of his wife, Eleni N. Kazantzakis, also an accomplished author and a radiant ethical personality – works with ecumenical themes which have inspired generations of people the world over, and which have withstood the passage of time, ever brilliant, never fading: works that are remarkable classics.
PATROCLOS STAVROU Publisher
The seat of the Kazantzakis Publications at 116 Charilaou Trikoupi Street, Athens
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Ο ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΞΑΝΑΣΤΑΥΡΩΝΕΤΑΙ CHRIST RECRUCIFIED ISBN: 978-960-7948-35-9 Has the world changed at all after the miracles, the teachings, the Martyrdom and Resurrection of Christ? Is Love doomed to always end up crucified? In a subjugated village, the annual representation of the Holy Passion during Easter, and the tragedy of a community of refugees generate immense existential and social conflicts. This ecumenical masterpiece of world literature was adapted into film, an opera, a theatrical play and a television series which enjoy wide acclaim. This is edition contains an afterword by the publisher Dr Patroclos Stavrou (September 2010), and by f. President of the Court of Appeals, critic and author Thanasis Papathanasopoulos, a review (1954) by scholar and journalist Aimilios Chourmouzios, and an essay by Associate Professor of Theological School of the University of Athens, Konstantinos I. Mbelezos.
ΒΙΟΣ ΚΑΙ ΠΟΛΙΤΕΙΑ ΤΟΥ ΑΛΕΞΗ ΖΟΡΜΠΑ ZORBA THE GREEK ISBN: 978-960-7948-36-6 One of the most translated books, adapted into a three-time Academy Award winning film, a renowned musical, a ballet, a theatrical play. Its author writes: “Zorba taught me to love life and not fear death….The widest soul, the sturdiest body, the freest cry I have ever encountered in my life”. From September 2010, the classical novel has circulated with rare photographic material and informative commentary: An afterword by publisher Dr Patroclos Stavrou, an essay by Professor Eratosthenis Kapsomenos of the University of Ioannina, and two reviews of the era it was written, the first, by author and critic Pierre Minet and the second, by scholar and journalist Aimilio Chourmouzio.
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Ο ΦΤΩΧΟΥΛΗΣ ΤΟΥ ΘΕΟΥ GOD’S PAUPER: ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI ISBN: 978-960-7948-24-3 The Legend of St Francis of Assisi, narrated by his loyal Brother Leo: the clash with family and societal status quo, the Italian countryside, Rome, the Holy Land, the return to the homeland; perfect poverty, struggle with the Self and human weakness, love for nature, humanity, Theosis. Kazantzakian lyricism and thought at its greatest heights. This edition of March 2008 contains an afterword by publisher Dr Patroclos Stavrou, chronicling the relationship of the author with St Francis, and the great humanitarian doctor Albert Schweitzer, “the St Francis of our times” to whom this book has been dedicated. An article by Nikos Kazantzakis about Albert Schweitzer has been added in the appendix.
Ο ΚΑΠΕΤΑΝ ΜΙΧΑΛΗΣ (Ελευτερία ή Θάνατος) FREEDOM OR DEATH ISBN: 978-960-7948-37-3
One of the bloodiest uprisings of Crete against Ottoman rule, chronicled through a vivid portrayal of daily life in Herakleion of the 19th century. While his old father struggles to learn to spell the prophetic phrase FREEDOM OR DEATH, the heroic Kapetan Michalis leads the revolt against a fierce Empire. The heavy fine of a personal sacrifice must be paid when his unconfessed passion for Emine momentarily causes him to deviate from battle. The complex character of Kapetan Michalis elevates this masterpiece to one of the greatest heroic tales of humankind. In the new edition (September 2010) an anecdotal narrative titled Bloody Dawn by Nikos Kazantzakis has also been included, along with essays by the publisher Dr Patroclos Stavrou, by Dr Theoharis Detorakis, Professor of Byzantine Literature of the University of Crete, and by Dr Mihalis G. Meraklis, Professor of Folklore of the University of Athens.
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Ο ΤΕΛΕΥΤΑΙΟΣ ΠΕΙΡΑΣΜΟΣ THE LAST TEMPTATION ISBN: 978-960-7948-23-6 Flesh and spirit in conflict, Mutiny against the Self, Desire for union with God. Nailed to the cross, Jesus gives in to a vision; how his life might have been, had he not drank the Father’s bitter cup. It is that last temptation springing up from deep within Jesus’s humanness, a last temptation felt by a tortured martyr: to be normal. Will he conquer it? Will his sore and aching shoulders accept the divine burden of the salvation of all humankind? The controversial novel which inspired the 1988 film by Martin Scorsese “The Last Temptation of Christ”, as of January 2008, includes an afterword by publisher Dr Patroclos Stavrou, with thoroughly selected information regarding the inscription of the novel in the Index Librorum Prohibitorum, excerpts of the discussions which took place in the Greek Parliament about the author in 1955 (following the accusations of the Holy Synod of the Greek Orthodox Church against him) and rare photographic material.
ΑΝΑΦΟΡΑ ΣΤΟΝ ΓΚΡΕΚΟ REPORT TO GRECO ISBN: 978-960-7948-26-7 True fiction or an autobiography created by a literary mastermind; imagination, true experiences, legends, dreams, physical and spiritual journeys, the homeland and the world, ancestors and contemporaries, worthy descendants. Nikos Kazantzakis reports to his “grandfather”, a fellow Cretan, who lived, painted and died centuries before him; El Greco, the warrior-artist who would understand the personal battles Nikos Kazantzakis, an author-warrior wages with the ineffable powers which only he can perceive. The author unfolds, with unparalleled vividness and art, the paths of life, thought and deed, the birth and important of his greatest works. A powerful (albeit unfinished due to the author’s death in 1957) literary masterpiece, presented with an afterword by the publisher Dr Patroclos Stavrou and captioned photographic material.
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ΟΙ ΑΔΕΡΦΟΦΑΔΕΣ THE FRATRICIDES ISBN: 978-960-7948-28-1 God speaks: “Whoever seeks Me, finds Me; whoever finds Me, knows Me, whoever knows Me, loves Me, whoever loves Me, I love; whomever I love, I kill”. At the village Kastellos, the civil war brings brother against brother. Papa-Giannaros, the village priest, is in despair; has his spiritual guidance been utterly futile, has he been so incapable of inspiring peace in the hearts of his flock? In a moment of tragic recognition, he concludes that for as long as humans slay each other, Jesus shall remain unrisen, and leading by example, he offers his own martyrdom as testament. Since July 2009, this timeless novel is accompanied by an informative afterword by publisher Dr Patroclos Stavrou which reveals the tragic events which inspired it. Also included, an anecdotal text by the author about the departure of Nazi occupational forces from the island of Aegina (1944).
Ο ΒΡΑΧΟΚΗΠΟΣ THE ROCK GARDEN ISBN: 978-960-7948-34-2 The author is deeply touched by the heroism of two competing people; the Japanese and the Chinese. Devoid of sentimentalism, he explores the intellectual journey of human beings who strive to cultivate and perfect their individuality, in order to transcend it and offer it to the service of the common good. The Rock Garden was written directly from the French; it circulated in Greece in 1960, translated in the Greek language by Pantelis Prevelakis, who also wrote the Foreword, explanatory notes, and a brief preface. As of June 2010, the book includes an afterword by the Publisher Dr Patroclos Stavrou, containing invaluable information provided by the author himself and his biographers, Eleni N. Kazantzakis, Pandelis Prevelakis and Aziz Izzet.
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ΤΟΝΤΑ-ΡΑΜΠΑ TODA-RABA ISBN: 960-7948-04-1 A cinematic view of the October Revolution, world unrest, hopes and frustrations, love, heroism and decline, experiences and conclusions. The novel, written in 1929 in French, was released in Greek in 1956 (by Giannis Maglis). Since April 2004 the novel features an Introduction by Eleni N. Kazantzakis, translated from the French, and an Editor’s Note, by the Editor-Publisher Dr. Patroclos Stavrou, regarding the anguished course of inspiration for the composition and publication of this prophetic book which so moved both, the ordinary reader and prominent figures such as Stefan Zweig and Roger Martin du Gard (Nobel in Literature, 1937). The 2004 edition also contains a text by Panait Istrati and a tercet poem by Nikos Kazantzakis entitled “TodaRaba”.
ΟΦΙΣ ΚΑΙ ΚΡΙΝΟ SERPENT AND LILY ISBN: 960-7948-01-7 First love, first book. The hyper-romantic novella with the eerie ambience, now in a new edition with commentary (2002 – and as of 2005, with one more addition), with the original document of the 1st edition and the truth regarding the author’s inspiration: the Irish Lass, to whom he devoted an entire chapter in Report to Greco. The new edition features her “notes” to Kazantzakis, and a wealth of information from the Editor-Publisher Dr. Patroclos Stavrou. The research for the fate of the Irish Lass – and of her photograph – was conducted by Niki P. Stavrou, Senior Lecturer in Comparative Literature at the University of Indianapolis. Also included, six book reviews of the age (1906-1907) and a subsequent review from 1977.
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ΣΠΑΣΜΕΝΕΣ ΨΥΧΕΣ BROKEN SOULS ISBN: 978-960-7948-21-2 Nikos Kazantzakis writes his first novel in 1908 while still a graduate student in Paris, which is then published as a series in Athens. His heroes, Orestes, Chrysoula and Gorgias “break” during their painful interaction with reality; only the fateful Nora is left unscathed. In 2007, Broken Souls was published intact, with a Prologue by the EditorPublisher Dr. Patroclos Stavrou, an Introduction by Professor of Modern Greek Literature of the University of Athens and writer Vangelis Athanasopoulos, and an article by Kazantzakis about his own novel and about the life of Greek students in Paris. The impressive presence of the Arts and Letters in the work is analyzed in the Παραθέματα. Also included, rare photographs of the author in Paris, columns of his published work and two manuscripts.
ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ ALEXANDER THE GREAT ISBN: 978-960-7948-15-1
In this historical novel, based on the life of Alexander the Great, Nikos Kazantzakis drew his inspiration from a wealth of historical books on the great king of Greek antiquity, in order to accurately recreate this complex, multifaceted historical character. Nikos Kazantzakis, who was as prolific a writer as he was a devoted reader, portrays Alexander as a god, as a human, as a mystic, a visionary, a king and a soldier, a horse whisperer, but also as a little boy, all in the most insightful and suspenseful text ever written about Alexander the Great. This novel, meant for children and grownups alike, has captured the hearts of Greek children for many generations. The illustrations were created by one of the greatest artists of Hellenism, A. Tassos.
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ΣΤΑ ΠΑΛΑΤΙΑ ΤΗΣ ΚΝΩΣΟΥ AT THE PALACES OF KNOSSOS ISBN: 978-960-7948-15-1 One of the most captivating adaptations of a myth into a novel, for children and grownups alike. The Minotaur and Theseus, Daedalus and Icarus, Crete and Athens, history and human emotions whirling into a Labyrinth, whose Creature and Creator clash and collide in this beautiful book, entitled: At the Palaces of Knossos. Nikos Kazantzakis masterfully constructs an intellectual arena, on which a primordial game to the Death is waged between Man and Bull, who is, simply, another facet of an ancient God. At the tip of Kazantzakis’s ingenious pen, the Archetype of the bloodthirsty Minotaur is revisited with humanity and compassion, and the flight of Icarus towards the Sun is portrayed like never before. The young reader may discern Nikos Kazantzakis’s glowing smile behind the faces of his young and vibrant characters and will experience a character-building tale of dignity, bravery and enchanting suspense.
ΤΑΞΙΔΕΥΟΝΤΑΣ: ΙΣΠΑΝΙΑ SPAIN ISBN: 978-960-7948-30-4 Spain: land of the blistering sun, of purple roses, of abundant art, of Carmen and Don Quixote… Or perhaps, the land of Sancho, of religious and political folly, of barbaric bull-fighting and fratricidal hatred? The strife of Spain’s civil war, a private or universal affair? Nikos Kazantzakis attempts to render the many-sided, much afflicted visage of the beloved country before and during the Civil War which scarred Spain both internally and internationally, through an objective yet emotive account, writing as a correspondent for an Athenian newspaper but primarily and always as an incurable traveler.
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ΤΑΞΙΔΕΥΟΝΤΑΣ: ΑΓΓΛΙΑ ENGLAND: A Travel Journal A wonderful travelogue, where the incredible historical account of the past is succeeded by the vibrant and vivid descriptions of the present. History, art, society, economy, industry, nation, cities, universities, personalities, exemplars, youth – all illuminated in bright and dark colors before us. Includes two additional texts by the author on England and Cyprus and on the blue bird of freedom, which, upon crossing the borders of England, was transformed into a blood-soaked vulture of imperialism. In the English edition, the work is characterized as “perhaps one of the most moving of all the travelogues by Kazantzakis….(the) brilliant and ever profound observations of a great author and a singularly astute traveler”.
ΤΑΞΙΔΕΥΟΝΤΑΣ: ΡΟΥΣΙΑ RUSSIA: A Chronicle of Three Journeys in the Aftermath of the Revolution ISBN: 978-960-7948-33-5
In this timeless book, which is dominated by the Revolution, we see what Kazantzakis sees, thinks and feels in this immense land: he smells the sweat and the blood of its people, he shares their tears, he allows his heart to harmonize with theirs. He bows to their struggle for the perennially human better tomorrow; he shouts with them, he expresses his troubles. In Russia he found, in blood and bone, the spirit of his age, he approached the Invisible, Cosmogonic Power. Thus he asks of the reader to rally not only logic, but the motion of his innermost self, the innermost urge to change the world.
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ΤΑΞΙΔΕΥΟΝΤΑΣ: ΙΤΑΛΙΑ – ΑΙΓΥΠΤΟΣ – ΣΙΝΑ – ΙΕΡΟΥΣΑΛΗΜ – ΚΥΠΡΟΣ – Ο ΜΟΡΙΑΣ JOURNEY TO THE MOREA Landscapes, civilizations, history, societies, people, arts, letters: what a source of inspiration for a thriving heart, a penetrating mind, an uneasy and fragile soul, as Nikos Kazantzakis! The author, who counts travels and dreams as his greatest benefactors, unfolds a multicolored vista of experiences (amongst these, interviews with Mussolini and Cavafy), of descriptions and interpretations, and journeys us to the world around and within us. “Richly observant, human, and abundant in spiritual pursuit, his travel diaries….are extraordinary readings, unique in perspective and thrilling for their intimations of things yet to come”. (Quote by Publisher’s weekly) .
ΤΑΞΙΔΕΥΟΝΤΑΣ: ΙΑΠΩΝΙΑ – ΚΙΝΑ JAPAN – CHINA ISBN: 960-7948-07-6 The result of the first journalistic journey of Kazantzakis to Japan and China (1935). Returning from his second voyage there with his wife Eleni, he leaves his last breath in Freiburg, Germany (1957). Eleni returns alone to their home in southern France, adds an Epilogue to the book, and writes about their travels, titling the book with the title Kazantzakis himself had conceived but had not had the opportunity to see finished. In 1961, in Geneva, she includes an Addendum on her new, solitary voyage to the Far East. The enriched re-print of 2006 (Athens) contains photographs, an Informative Note by the Editor-Publisher Dr Patroclos Stavrou and et al.
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Ο ΦΡΕΙΔΕΡΙΚΟΣ ΝΙΤΣΕ ΕΝ ΤΗ ΦΙΛΟΣΟΦΙΑ ΤΟΥ ΔΙΚΑΙΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΤΗΣ ΠΟΛΙΤΕΙΑΣ NIETZSCHE ON THE PHILOSOPHY OF RIGHT AND THE STATE ISBN: 960-7948-06-8 The doctoral dissertation of Nikos Kazantzakis on the philosopher who definitively influenced him was first published in 1909 in Herakleion. In the 2nd edition (Athens, 1998) an Introduction was included by the Editor-Publisher Dr. Patroclos Stavrou, whose research brought to light Kazantzakis’ diploma as a Doctor of Law, reproduced in the 3rd edition (2006). “While other figures of the period gave their thoughts on Nietzsche, no one comes close to the stature and intellect of Kazantzakis. This book opens a singular window into the forefront of European intellectuality of the early 20th century”, said Daniel Conway, author of Nietzsche and the Political.
ΑΣΚΗΤΙΚΗ (SALVATORES DEI) SAVIORS OF GOD ISBN: 978-960-7948-18-2 The most anguished Cry of the life of Nikos Kazantzakis, the culmination of his thought and his worldview. Salvatores Dei means Saviors of God: by affixing God, we affix our own souls and so contribute, in cooperation with nature, to the creative evolution of the world. The first edition (Athens, 1927) created an uproar. After several corrections, the 2nd edition was printed in 1945. The 1998 edition is considered the definitive edition (Nicosia, edited by Dr. Patroclos Stavrou in collaboration with Eleni N. Kazantzakis), which, as of September 2008, is available with comments by Dr. Patroclos Stavrou and images (manuscript and photographs of Kazantzakis, covers of the first editions).
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ΣΥΜΠΟΣΙΟΝ SYMPOSIUM ISBN: 978-960-7948-25-0 The revised edition of the work (April, 2009) which has as its basic premise the divine and divineness was made in accordance to the only known manuscript which is reproduced herein in its entirety. In addition, the revised edition also includes two Addenda and images of “symposium attendees” and more. The First Addendum contains a letter by the author regarding the book, while the Second Addendum features information and commentary by Professor Emeritus of Philosophy of the University of Ioannina Vasileios A. Kyrkos, by Professor of Glossology of the University of Athens Christoforos Charalambakis, and by the EditorPublisher Dr. Patroclos Stavrou, while still including the original Editor’s Note from the 1st edition of 1971 by Emmanuel H. Kasdaglis.
Ο ΗΓΕΜΟΝΑΣ (τού Μακιαβέλλι) IL PRINCIPE (THE PRINCE, by Machiavelli) ISBN: 960-7948-11-4 The Kazantzakian translation of The Prince was printed in 1961 and again in 1968 by Galaxias Publications. In December of 2006 a new edition was released with images and studies by Professor Gerasimos Zora of the University of Athens, by the Editor-Publisher Dr. Patroclos Stavrou and by the Italian doctoral candidate in Italian Literature, Marco Riccobon. Machiavelli, the great representative of the Renaissance was “demonized” and his Il Principe was included in the Vatican’s Index of Forbidden Works, the same Index which would later claim one of Nikos Kazantzakis’ works as well. In spite of the misinterpretation and opposition which these two great spiritual authors faced, they have since been recognized as classical authors, and through our edition, meet again, at the dawn of the 21st century.
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ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑ ΤΗΣ ΡΩΣΙΚΗΣ ΛΟΓΟΤΕΧΝΙΑΣ HISTORY OF RUSSIAN LITERATURE ISBN: 960-7948-11-4 This work was first printed in 1930 in two volumes. Eleni N. Kazantzakis aptly notes: “Kazantzakis….met the innovators of soviet literature…he knew and studied not only the lands where spiritual laborers toiled and thrived, but also the Russian people…the new soviet literature had just been born. The works of most of the established soviet authors today were in their infancy then. But the discerning glance of Kazantzakis deepened their examination, and his conclusions bear the same weight today….he examines in detail Russian letters without losing any of the renowned elegance and appeal of the Kazantzakian idiom”.
ΤΕΤΡΑΚΟΣΙΑ ΓΡΑΜΜΑΤΑ ΤΟΥ ΚΑΖΑΝΤΖΑΚΗ ΣΤΟΝ ΠΡΕΒΕΛΑΚΗ HISTORY OF RUSSIAN LITERATURE ISBN: 960-7948-11-4 Pantelis Prevelakis, compatriot, friend and fellow author of Nikos Kazantzakis, offers us, with respect and thoroughness, one of the most complete and objective biographical sources about him: “The clarity of his life and the nobleness of his aims allowed Kazantzakis to not withhold his reactions…the gradual revelation of the living man presents the deepest allure of this book…Yet the nature of correspondence is such that it touches upon trivial matters, with the correspondent confused in the web of time. It is therefore up to the reader to follow the revelations at their crux and to arrange them into a unified whole, if he wishes to surmount the randomness of events and thus grasp the Person”.
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ΤΕΡΤΣΙΝΕΣ TERCETS ISBN: 978-960-7948-19-9 21 poems in terca meter, which Nikos Kazantzakis composed between 1932 -1937: “In these songs I wish I could reveal the trembling and the joy given to me by the souls that nurtured my soul. They are the Mothers from which I suckled love, as I feel it, exercise, persistence and selflessness; and moreover endurance – and not only endurance, but the reclusive, celebrated love of solitude.” Includes a Foreword by the poet and Notes by E.H. Kasdaglis, editor of the 1st edition (1960) and by Dr. Patroclos Stavrou, Editor of the later reprints and of the enriched new edition of 2007.
Η ΘΕΙΑ ΚΩΜΩΔΙΑ (του Δάντη) Divine Comedy (N.K.'s translation of Dante's Comedia Divina) ISBN: 978-960-7948-32-8 The timeless odyssey of man in this hallmark work on the transition to the Renaissance through the exceptionally poetic mind and word of Dante Alighieri, translated by Nikos Kazantzakis in meter, who also arranged the Introduction, Dante’s biographical note, Analysis of the work, Commentary and Vocabulary. The March-April 2010 edition includes a Note from the Editor-Publisher Dr. Patroclos Stavrou, a Study by Professor of the University of Athens and honorary member of the Società Dantesca Italiana Gerasimos G. Zoras, and an article by Pantelis Prevelakis. Also includes the tercet which Kazantzakis dedicated to Dante, whom he viewed as one of the great Leaders of souls and whom he kept as his travel companion until the end of his days.
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ΟΔΥΣΣΕΙΑ THE ODYSSEY ISBN: 978-960-7948-38-0 The first edition of the kazantzakian ODYSSEY was released in 1938 in a large size, with the distinct orthography and diacritical style of the poet. The first limited edition copy was released in 2006, and as of June 2011, THE ODYSSEY is again available in a smaller size using the polytonic orthographical system as it had been prepared for print by Emmanuel H. Kasdaglis in collaboration with Nikos Kazantzakis himself in 1955-1956. Nikos Kazantzakis, in cooperation with Ioannis Kakrides, translated Homer’s Odyssey (and the Iliad), though it must be noted that the kazantzakian Odyssey is an entirely original work, different and independent from the translation of the Homeric epic.
ΟΔΥΣΕΙΑ THE ODYSSEY (small format) ISBN: 960-7948-05-X The adventures of Odysseus upon his return to Ithaca, and of his departure anew, until his death in the Southern Cold Ocean, in 33.333 verses. Nikos Kazantzakis devoted at least 15,000 hours to the epic’s 7 drafts. His life’s companion, Eleni, who typed them all, notes: “writing the ODYSSEY is unlike writing any other poetic work. It is like carving in stone the new face of God. Odysseus shall be the new man”. The 2006 replica of the 1st edition of 1938 (35,5×25,5cm, hardcover, in a case), which was characterized as a monumental masterpiece of typograhic art, contains the included Vocabulary, as arranged by the poet himself, and an Addendum of his manuscripts.
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ΘΕΑΤΡΟ Α΄ – ΤΡΑΓΩΔΙΕΣ ΜΕ ΑΡΧΑΙΑ ΘΕΜΑΤΑ THEATER VOL.1 – TRAGEDIES ON ANCIENT TOPICS This volume contains 6 tragedies by Nikos Kazantzakis, inspired by the great figures of ancient Greek mythology and history. His three Prometheuses (Flamebearer, Bound, Unbound) have as their standard the homonymous trilogy by Aeschylus. In his Kouros he negotiates in his personal style the mythical and in part, historical conquest of Minoan Crete by the Greeks. In his drama Odysseus we find elements of the kazantzakian Odyssey, while in Bees the bloodstained fate of the cruel yet successful tyrant of Corinth, Periander, comes to life as told by the ancient Greek tradition and imagination of the poet.
ΘΕΑΤΡΟ Β΄ – ΤΡΑΓΩΔΙΕΣ ΜΕ ΒΥΖΑΝΤΙΝΑ ΘΕΜΑΤΑ THEATER VOL II TRAGEDIES ON BYZANTINE TOPICS The 4 tragedies contained in the 2nd volume focus on topics from the christian and byzantine world: Christ, Julian the Apostate, Nikephoros Phokas, and Constantine Palaeologos. Superhuman figures, restless warriors and spiritual leaders, overdaring heroes, in pursuit of a great feat, who undertake an arduous and often hopeless struggle. Here is the Ascent, the motif of the Cretan author’s and thinker’s life stance in all its glory. We discern a deeper connection between the heroes of the tragedies and the equally restless – yet strong – Kazantzakis, who urges us to question and to experience our own identities.
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ΘΕΑΤΡΟ Γ΄ – ΤΡΑΓΩΔΙΕΣ ΜΕ ΔΙΑΦΟΡΑ ΘΕΜΑΤΑ THEATER VOL.3 – TRAGEDIES ON VARIOUS TOPICS 4 tragedies where once again the prevailing model is that of the struggling man who does not wish to enslave his “ego”, but who would not be enslaved by it, who sacrifices it on the altar of the ideal. The poet draws upon contemporary Greek and European history for Christopher Colombus and Kapodistrias, while for his drama Sodom and Gomorrah, which is primarily philosophical, he is inspired by the world of the Old Testament. Among them, an Asian religious figure, the Buddha, also moved Kazantzakis, who regarded human action as the ultimate value, in contrast to the buddhist obsession with nonaction and annihilation.
ΑΠΟ ΤΟ ΠΟΙΗΤΙΚΟ ΕΡΓΟ ΤΟΥ ΝΙΚΟΥ ΚΑΖΑΝΤΖΑΚΗ FROM THE POETIC WORKS OF NIKOS KAZANTZAKIS ISBN: 978-960-7948-31-1
More than 70 excerpts from the epic ODYSSEY, and from 11 tragedies and 9 tercets by our ecumenical author comprise a riveting poetic panorama, adorned with carvings by the great Nikos HatzikyriakosGikas. The anthology and the comments belong to the “patriarch” of Cretan letters, Stylianos Alexiou, the emblematic figure of our philology and philosophy with the international acclaim. Also included are book reviews by foreign philologists on the ODYSSEY. The 1st edition was released in 1977 by the Municipality of Herakleion, Crete. As of May 2010, the 2nd edition is available through our publishing house, with new binding and other improvements, and a Prologue, edited by Dr. Patroclos Stavrou.
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ΝΙΚΟΣ ΚΑΖΑΝΤΖΑΚΗΣ, Ο ΑΣΥΜΒΙΒΑΣΤΟΣ NIKOS KAZANTZAKIS, A BIOGRAPHY BASED ON HIS LETTERS One of the most complete and authoritative biographies on Nikos Kazantzakis based on his unpublished letters and texts, with at least 80 pictures and 5 autographs, this book was released in many languages and countries and met with great acclaim, as is clear in the following quotes: “a great, authentic work, where the poet speaks, where the thinker lives and expresses himself, the eternal seeker, the political, the religious, the friend of men…so very much a novel, rich in figures, events, tension, adventure...This book will benefit not only those interested in the work of Nikos Kazantzakis, but also those interested generally in the intellectual history of contemporary Greece” (Tages Anzeiger, October 1972).
ΚΙΝΑ, ΜΙΚΡΗ ΠΟΡΕΙΑ ΣΤΗ ΜΕΓΑΛΗ ΧΩΡΑ CHINA: SMALL MARCH IN THE GREAT COUNTRY ISBN: 960-7948-03-3 Eleni N. Kazantzakis’ journey condenses “3 trips and 19 years of study of a distant great land and of its people, which after a long and painful decline, stood upright again before us, peaceful and determined, holding in their hands the reigns of their victorious chariot”. Formatted and printed virtually on the Green Line in Nicosia in 1976, two years after the barbaric Turkish invasion of Cyprus, as a token of the author’s solidarity to the afflicted island which she and her husband loved so dearly. The 2nd edition (Athens, 2004) was edited once more, by Dr. Patroclos Stavrou, who also wrote the Informative Note and the book’s Epilogue.
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ΜΑΧΑΤΜΑ ΓΚΑΝΤΙ, ΜΙΑ ΑΓΙΑ ΖΩΗ MAHATMA GANDHI, A SAINTLY LIFE ISBN: 978-960-7948-27-4 This biography, in the form of a self-confessional, was written (1931-32) and first published (1934) in French by Eleni Samiou (later Kazantzakis), who, following the assassination of Gandhi in 1948, made changes to her book. The work was released in Greek in 1983 with commentary Notes, Gandhi’s epistle to the author, and rich photographic materials. The 2nd Greek edition (June 2009), with new formatting and additional images, contains the author’s texts from the French editions prior to Gandhi’s death, the Introduction by Maurice Martin-Du-Gard from the 1st French edition, and excerpts from French book reviews. Also includes the revised Editor’s Note by Editor-Publisher Dr. Patroclos Stavrou and additional images.
ΝΙΚΟΣ ΚΑΖΑΝΤΖΑΚΗΣ 1883-1957 Στα χνάρια του ανθρώπου και του δημιουργού NIKOS KAZANTZAKIS 1883-1957 In the footsteps of the man and creator ISBN: 960-7948-12-2 His childhood in subjugated yet heroic Crete, the college years in Athens and his appearance in Greek letters, his graduate studies in France, his trips to Europe and Asia, his existential and creative agony, his acquaintance with “ordinary” and prominent figures of the arts, of intellectual life and politics, his love for a country which did not spare him her assault: Nikos Kazantzakis lived life and his period with passion, as is evident in this luxurious yet affordable CalendarTimeline-Anthology-Archive (on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of his death, 1957-2007), rich in photographs of the author and excerpts from his greater and lesser known works.
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ΛΗΜΜΑΤΑ ΤΟΥ ΝΙΚΟΥ ΚΑΖΑΝΤΖΑΚΗ ΣΤΟ ΕΓΚΥΚΛΟΠΑΙΔΙΚΟΝ ΛΕΞΙΚΟΝ ΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΟΥΔΑΚΗ [1927-1931] ENTRIES BY NIKOS KAZANTZAKIS IN THE ELEFTHEROUDAKIS ENCYCLOPAEDIC LEXICON [1927-1931] ISBN: 978-960-7948-39-7 An enchanting journey into the past, Art, Science and History, with method and precision, but with a personal style which "transforms scientific discourse into a philologist’s tool and primarily into a work of Art." After thorough investigation and enquiry, the Kazantzakis Publications [Patroclos Stavrou] Philological Research Department presents this kazantzakian oeuvre, collected from his contributions into one of the finest encyclopedic dictionaries of the 20th century. This publication (September 2011), was edited and foreworded by publisher Patroclos Stavrou and Maria Giouroukou, Doctors of Philosophy of the University of Athens. The edition further contains special chapters for Errors and Observations, “Inconclusive as to their Authorship” entries, Preface of a version of the encyclopaedic dictionary, and two entries in the Dictionary devoted to Kazantzakis himself, with an Index of these entries.
ΠΡΙΝ ΑΠ’ΤΟ ΗΛΙΟΒΑΣΙΛΕΜΑ (του Γκέρχαρτ Χάουπτμαν) ΜΕΤΑΦΡΑΣΗ ΝΙΚΟΥ ΚΑΖΑΝΤΖΑΚΗ VOR SONNENUNTERGANG (by Gerhart Hauptmann) TRANSLATED BY NIKOS KAZANTZAKIS ISBN : 978-960-7948-41-0 First edition of the unknown translation by Nikos Kazantzakis of Gerhart Hauptmann’s Vor Sonnenuntergang. Nikos Kazantzakis translated the work for the Greek National Theater, which staged the work with great success between 1936-1942, albeit without the final act, perhaps so as not to scandalize further the morals of the day. In this edition the text of Kazantzakis’ translation is rendered in full (Acts 1-4) together with the 5th and final act, translated by Dr. Evi Petropoulou, Assistant Professor at the Department of German Language and Philology of the University of Athens.
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Ο ΠΡΩΤΟΜΑΣΤΟΡΑΣ [Η ΘΥΣΙΑ] THE MASTERBUILDER [THE SACRIFICE] ISBN : 978-960-7948-43-4 In this two-Act drama, which was written in 1908 under the original title “The Sacrifice” and was awarded in the Lassanion Drama Competition in 1910, Nikos Kazantzakis retells the folk song The Bridge of Arta, propelling the story to new heights. The protagonist and his beloved defy the conventions of their petty social circumstances, yet in the arena of Great Works, their Eros is defeated in Death, which crushes without mercy their youthful vanity – though not so their Love. In circulation since May of 2012, this first revised edition contains an Introduction by the prominent Theatrologist Walter Puchner, Professor Emeritus of the University of Athens, the original manuscript of the play, and the Lassanion Drama Competition Essay.
ΗΜΕΡΟΛΟΓΙΟ 2013 ΗΜΕΡΟΛΟΓΙΟ-ΛΕΥΚΩΜΑ, ΜΕ ΑΦΟΡΜΗ ΤΑ 130 ΧΡΟΝΙΑ (1883-2013) ΑΠΟ ΤΗ ΓΕΝΝΗΣΗ ΤΟΥ ΣΥΓΓΡΑΦΕΑ CALENDAR 2013 CALENDAR – PHOTO BOOK, ON THE OCCASION OF THE 130th ANNIVERSARY OF THE AUTHOR’S BIRTH ISBN : 978-960-7948-44-1 The 2013 Calendar from the Kazantzakis Publications will accompany your days with excerpts from the works of Nikos Kazantzakis and photographs from his life. The fundamental basis of the work of Nikos Kazantzakis is internal freedom, as expressed in his Cretan Glance: to look fearlessly into fear, to live the life of mortal men, and to behave as though you are immortal. On his tombstone, which today is a site of global pilgrimage, the words he requested have been inscribed: I fear nothing I hope for nothing I am free
NIKOS KAZANTZAKIS
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ikos Kazantzakis was born on February 18th 1883 in Ottoman-occupied Crete. His father, Kapetan Michalis, had intended for him to be a lawyer, and to this end he initiated him and awe of liberty: during the 1889 massacres in Crete, on that first blood soaked morning, Kapetan Michalis bade him worship at the feet of those hung by the Turks at the giant maple tree at the Lions’ Square in Herakleion. The author would later transubstantiate this unforgettable image into inspiration, strength of spirit and a steadfast quest for freedom. Kazantzakis’ first appearance in Greek Letters came in 1906, the year of his graduation (with honors) from the University of Athens’ School of Law. He continued his graduate studies in Paris; among his professors was Henri Bergson, who influenced him greatly. It was in Paris that Nikos Kazantzakis completed his dissertation in 1908, and early 1909, entitled: Friedrich Nietzsche and the Philosophy of Law and the State. His first marriage (1911) to Galatea Alexiou, which began as a fiery and loving union, ended in separation and divorce. Nikos Kazantzakis found happiness and marital bliss in his second wife and life partner, Eleni Samiou. On May 4, 1957, approximately six months before his death, Kazantzakis wrote to his friend Pantelis Prevelakis: “What can I say about Eleni? We met on a field-trip to Penteli in 1924. We were married on November 11, 1945. To Eleni I owe the entire daily happiness of my life; without her I would have surely died many years ago. A courageous companion, devoted, proud, ready for any action that requires love.”
Nikos Kazantzakis traveled extensively within Greece, on the mainland and the islands, to gain intimate knowledge of Greek nature and culture, as he himself noted. His travels nourished his soul, and combined with his studies and his dreams, provided him with an ever-replenishing source of inspiration for his writing. Thus he traveled to many European countries as well as to the Far East. For the island of Cyprus, which he visited with his partner, Eleni, Kazantzakis bore a special affinity, since its trials and tribulations reminded him of his own island’s struggle for freedom. Even though Kazantzakis was an ascetic at heart, he was actively involved in civic affairs, all the more so, in the tumultuous political arena of mid-20th century Greece. Nikos Kazantzakis, assumed a responsibility of great national and humanitarian importance in July, 1919, shortly after Eleftherios Venizelos, Prime Minister of Greece, had appointed him Director, and subsequently General Director, of the newly established Ministry of Care. He was bestowed with the great task of heading the Mission which would travel to Caucasus, to organize the process of repatriation for thousands of persecuted Greeks, after the establishment of communism in Russia in 1917. Kazantzakis, after a grueling and arduous journey, led approximately 150,000 deracinated Greeks to Macedonia and Thrace, where they resettled into a new life. One of his companions during this mission was Giorgis Zorbas, the man who was to offer his name and vibrant personality to Nikos Kazantzakis’s legendary character, Alexis Zorbas.
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At the end of 1945 Kazantzakis served as ‘Minister without portfolio’ during the administration of Prime Minister Themistocles Sofoulis, resigning after approximately forty days, unable to bear the multitude of requests for “special favors” that plagued the public services of Greece at the time. He served as Department Head of UNESCO in Paris (1947-1948), from where he also resigned, despite the substantial political and financial advantages accompanying the position, so that he might devote himself wholly to his pure, albeit less profitable, intellectual endeavors. The basic axis of his work is dignity, social justice, inner freedom and courage, pure enough, and strong enough, to allow an ephemeral human being to stare fearlessly into the abyss and to not recoil; this is the “Cretan Glance” of Nikos Kazantzakis, a constant struggle towards the fulfillment of the human soul, a soul starved and unsatisfied, which annihilates, mortifies and devours the flesh, so that it may accomplish transcendence and salvation. His life, as he noted, was a ragged Ascent climbed by his aching soul in order to reach that dark, mysterious mass of God and be united with him. The great Cretan was persecuted by both Church and State for his fearlessness and integrity. Government officials intervened so that he would not be awarded the Nobel Prize he so rightfully deserved. Even so, the value of his works afforded him a greater recognition and distinction than many other Nobel Laureates. In the 1950s the Church of Greece set in motion proceedings for his excommunication, though it did not conclude these. In 1954, the Vatican included The Last Temptation of Christ in the dreaded Index Librorum Prohibitorum, which was eliminated a few years later. In 1968 the Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras noted that the books
books of Nikos Kazantzakis grace the Patriarchal Library. Nikos Kazantzakis produced all genres of literature: poetry, theater, philosophy, travelogues, novels. He also produced a great number of translations and adaptations of children’s books in Greek. His novels became notable films, and , in addition to his purely theatrical compositions, were adapted and staged for theater. Today he is considered an ecumenical author and thinker, a classical master. According to official sources, he is the most translated Greek author of the modern Greek period, and there is hardly a person who is able to read who will not be able to experience Kazantzakis in his or her own language or dialect. In the various periods of his life Kazantzakis lived in Crete, Athens, on the island of Aegina, (where he experienced hardship and hunger during the German occupation), as well as in many European countries, and, during the final years of his life, in Antibes in South France, an ancient Greek colony named Antipolis, which bore a Mediterranean-style resemblance to his native island, Crete. He died on October 26, 1957 at the University Clinic in Freiburg, Germany, on his way back to Antibes from his journey to China and Japan with his beloved Eleni. His body was escorted to Athens and then to Crete, and he was buried at Martinego Bastion, on the Venetian Walls of Heraklion. On his tombstone, which today is a destination of spiritual pilgrimages from across the world, the words that he had chosen have been engraved:
I fear nothing I hope for nothing I am free
ELENI N. KAZANTZAKIS
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leni Ν. Kazantzakis, (maiden name Samiou), was orphaned at age 15. Her father’s origins can be traced in Asia Minor and her mother’s in Crete. Eleni and Nikos met on May 18, 1924. The famous pianist Marika Papaioannou had encouraged Eleni to attend a gathering of intellectuals at Dexameni on that particular day, where she would meet Nikos Kazantzakis, an already renowned author. It was love at first sight for both. A few years later, Nikos Kazantzakis himself would encourage his loyal Cypriot friend Aimilios Hourmouzios to meet Marika Papaioannou, assuming the role of matchmaker. Both matches ended in marriage, and the two couples were united in friendship for life. Nikos and Eleni Kazantzakis had lived together for approximately twenty years before November 11, 1945, when they married at the Church of Saint Georgios Karitsis in Athens. His best man was his friend Angelos Sikelianos and Eleni’s bridesmaid, his wife Anna. Nikos and Eleni were living in Aegina at the time, but made frequent trips abroad, until they finally settled in Antibes in Southern France. Only his death parted them in 1957, and since that time, widowed and alone, Eleni devoted herself to the care of his work. In the exceptional and gallant Cretan man, Eleni found all that which she had lost as an orphan. In Eleni, Nikos found the perfect partner, the tireless
secretary, the unfaltering care giver in all things. She was his guardian angel and muse. Leaning upon her, he became greater, still, and she made tender his gruff life with her infinite gentleness, kindness, and love. “To Eleni”, he once wrote, “I owe the daily bliss of my life; without her I would have died many years ago”. “In my thirty-three years by his side,” Eleni noted, “I cannot recall ever being ashamed by a single bad action on his part. He was honest, without guile, innocent, infinitely sweet toward others, fierce only toward himself.” Kazantzakis would always read to her his writings, for her opinion weighed heavily on him, and it was Eleni who urged him to systematically devote himself to novels. The scope of her contribution to his work in the technical sense is patent in the fact that she typed the Odyssey at least seven consecutive times (33,333 verses). Herself an author, her book, Nikos Kazantzakis, A Biography Based on his Letters, which centered on his unpublished correspondence and texts, circulated in many languages and was characterized as the biography of the century, and for it Eleni was awarded a prize by the Academy of Athens in 1979. Her book Mahatma Gandhi, A Saintly Life was published in French (1934), Spanish (1936) and Greek (1977). Her book about the Greek-Romanian author Panait Istrati was first released in Spanish (Santiago, 1938), and her work entitled China, Small March in the Big Land was first published in Nicosia in 1976.
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During her life, Eleni had been a journalist and had also composed poetry. Eleni delivered numerous lectures at universities and other educational institutions around the world and frequently gave interviews for radio and television broadcasts about Kazantzakis and Greece. In 1974, Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, conferred upon her a doctorate degree, honoris causa, on Humane Letters. In 1983, for the commemoration of the centenary of the birth of Nikos Kazantzakis, she and her adopted son Patroclos Stavrou toured the entire United States from one coast to the other, and spoke in universities and various other institutions. In October of that same year, at the State University of San Francisco, Eleni and Chia-Wei Woo, President of the University, inaugurated the Nikos Kazantzakis Chair; the inaugural speech was delivered by Patroclos Stavrou. Eleni’s apartment in Geneva, where she moved following the death of her husband, became a literary pilgrimage for those who loved and appreciated the work of Nikos Kazantzakis from all over the world, but also, a safe haven for people persecuted by the Greek junta. During the seven years of the military dictatorship in Greece, Eleni, always a staunch critic of totalitarian regimes, delivered numerous lectures on democracy and spoke out against the dictatorship, for which she was persecuted by the junta and was unable to return to Greece. During this time, Eleni made Patroclos and Mary Stavrou’s house in Cyprus her second home, which became a refuge to her especially in the holiday and summer seasons. In 1973, she baptized their daughter, Niki, who was born in Geneva, after Nikos Kazantzakis. Nikos and Eleni Kazantzakis had loved Cyprus dearly. Nikos Kazantzakis devoted numerous pages
and references in his work about the beautiful island which he first visited, together with Eleni, in 1926, but, unfortunately, Nikos was never able to revisit it as he so desired. The military coup against Archbishop Makarios on July 15, 1974, and the brutal Turkish invasion on July 20, 1974 found Eleni, Mary and little Niki sojourning in Kyrenia, at “Pente Mili”, the point of the invasion. They were captured and detained by the Turkish soldiers as prisoners of war. After the Turkish invasion, to aid the Cypriot cause, Eleni had her books, as well as all of Nikos Kazantzakis’s books, printed in Nicosia, and made considerable donations to the victims of the Cypriot tragedy and contributed financially to the restoration of the icons and works of Art of the Archbishopric of Cyprus which had sustained damages during the coup d’etat. Eleni lived in Geneva until 1989. On February 12 of the same year, she suffered a terrible motor accident at William Favre Avenue, where her apartment was located. Patroclos and Mary rushed to Switzerland, to the Geneva University Clinic, where she was hospitalized, to be by her side; they never left her since. On May 1st, 1989, Eleni came to Athens to live in Voula with Patroclos, Mary and her god-daughter, Niki, and remained there until the end of her days. Up to her death, Eleni often said that she had never regretted two things in her life: the one was marrying Nikos Kazantzakis (1945), the other, adopting Patroclos Stavrou (1982). “I am an electric machine and you are the electric current. If it should be cut, I would be lost”, Nikos had written of Eleni. That ‘electric current’ was cut on Feburary 18, 2004, the anniversary of his birth (18/02/1883), and Eleni, in the fullness of days at 101 years of age, went to find her beloved, 47 years after his passage “to the other side”.
Eleni N. Kazantzakis with Patroclos Stavrou and refugees of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus
Eleni N. Kazantzakis with Mary Stavrou and Niki P. Stavrou at their home in Voula
Patroclos Stavrou with Eleni N. Kazantzakis on the balcony of her apartment in Geneva
Martin Scorcese with Patroclos Stavrou during their collaboration for the film The Last Temptation of Christ
Eleni N. Kazantzakis baptizes Niki P. Stavrou. The sacrament is officiated by the Ethnarch of Cyprus, Makarios
Eleni N. Kazantzakis and Mary P. Stavrou with their beloved friend, Antonis Samarakis
The seat of the Nikos and Eleni Kazantzakis Foundation in Athens, next to the Kazantzakis Publications