Philosophically, Zorba's another modernist novel and focuses especially on existentialism -- your existence precedes your "essence," which you create for yourself (i.e. make your own life). A great essay on this is Sartre's "Existentialism is a Humanism." While this whole concept can be construed as an atheistic and pessimistic worldview, I think it's pretty optimistic. Sartre says:
Man is nothing else but what he purposes, he exists only in so far as he realizes himself, he is therefore nothing else but the sum of his actions, nothing else but what his life is.Thus, it follows that the hero of an existentialist work should be a brave non-conformist that makes the most of his life ... "Zorba!" This is one (and IMHO the best) solution to the modernist quandary of How Do I Deal With My Life. Kazantzakis' views are summed up nicely in Peter Bien's Why Read Kazantzakis in the Twenty-first Century. Apparently they show the influence of Nietzsche and Bergson -- neither of whom I've read, so I'll just stop there and come back when I'm more informed.
Kazantzakis is decidedly not an atheist but neither is he overly religious. As reflected in "Zorba" he "believed in a not all-powerful deity that struggles together with humanity and that needs humanity in order to stay alive" (Anti-Nihilism in the Thought of Nikos Kazantzakis, Galanopoulos). Somewhat related side note: I had no idea this was the same guy who wrote "The Last Temptation of Christ."
As to the actual book, this is my favorite description: "popular with educated readers of discriminating literary taste ... terrifyingly intellectual" (Life Span Development in Kazantzakis' Zorba the Greek, Elsman). I wouldn't call it terrifying or intellectual, or even that you need to have some sort of trained bookworm palate to enjoy the book. Can I better appreciate the novel now that I realize the underlying philosophy? Yup. Would I have also enjoyed it on surface-value alone? Probably.
The same article above points out that "Zorba" is fairly autobiographical; Kazantzakis operated a lignite mine with George Zorba, a friend of 27 years, before parting ways with him. Interesting.
Quotes that I want to comment on or just generally connected with:
"Woe betide the woman who could sleep with a man and who did not do so!" (p.106)
... Oh Zorba, thanks for making me feel better about my weekends.
"If you take a magnifying-glass and look at your drinking water ... You'll see the worms and you won't drink. You won't drink and you'll curl up with thirst." (p.117)
"I have always been consumed with one desire: to touch and see as much as possible of the earth and the sea before I die." (p.139)
... I feel the same way. Because really, going back to Sartre, then in a way you've made your life as much as you possibly could.
"I let the brakes off when I get to the most dangerous slopes. The life of man is a road with steep rises and dips. All sensible people use their brakes." (p.146)
... Basically this is why sometimes Zorba came across as being psychotic.
And, in light of my current endeavors, one of the most important lines from the narrator:
"All the problems I was trying to solve point by point in my solitude and glued to my chair, this man had solved up in the pure air of the mountains with his sword." (p.127)
Bottom line: Not to say that reading is useless, but sometimes you just gotta live it to understand.
Most memorable moment:
When I am dead write to him and tell him that right until the very last minute I was in full possession of my senses and was thinking of him. And tell him that whatever I have done, I have no regrets. Tell him I hope he is well and that it's about time he showed a bit of sense.
