Zorba The Greek.
"I felt once more how simple and frugal a thing is happiness: a glass of wine, a roast chestnut, a wretched little brazier, the sound of the sea. Nothing else": Rare First Edition In Greek of the Author’s Classic Work Zorba The Greek; Signed by Nikos Kazantzakis
Zorba The Greek.
KAZANTZAKIS, Nikos.
$9,800.00
Item Number: 146502
Athens: Plateia Syntagmatos, 1946.
Rare first Greek edition, preceding all other editions of the author’s classic work, which was the basis for the beloved Oscar-winning film starring Anthony Quinn. Octavo, bound in half morocco, gilt titles to the spine, raised bands, marbled endpapers, original illustrated wrappers bound in. Signed by Nikos Kazantzakis on the copyright page. In near fine condition, name to the title page page. First editions of Zorba The Greek are of legendary scarcity.
Zorba the Greek is the epic tale of a young Greek intellectual who ventures to escape his bookish life with the aid of the boisterous and mysterious Alexis Zorba. Kazantzakis has made a work of stunning genius. The book is about life. How does one live it? How does one deal with the vicissitudes of it? The tragedies? The failures? Does one stand on the sidelines of life and never jump in? Does one fear getting married or fear having children or fear doing any activity that could fail or come to naught? Zorba tells us what to do. And in the end, when the whole bloody mess comes falling down around us, and all our plans and schemes are for naught, what do you do? Dance. Dance as hard and as wild as you can. Spit and fume and sing and smash your heels into the dirt. And laugh at it all... the absurdity of worry and wondering. Zorba shows us the joy of just "being" and "doing". It was adapted into a successful 1964 film of the same name as well as a 1968 musical, Zorba.
