Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis -- BOOK BEGINNINGS

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis

Thank you for joining me for Book Beginnings on Fridays. Please share the opening sentence (or so) of the book you are reading this week. You can also share from a book that caught your fancy, even if you are not reading it right now.

MY BOOK BEGINNING

I first met him in Piraeus. I wanted to take the boat for Crete and had gone down to the port.

-- from Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis.

Zorba is an earthy and boisterous Greek man from Crete with a huge appetite for life. Sometimes, his energy is so fierce he can only express himself through spontaneous dancing and music making. He befriends the unnamed narrator, a bookworm who prefers studying Buddhism over engaging in the rough and tumble of life. The two, for reasons too vague for me to catch, travel together to Crete to open a lignite mine. 

The movie version with Anthony Quinn came out in 1964 and was often played on tv when I was a kid in the 1970s. So the notion of Zorba the Greek has been in the back of my mind for as long as I can remember. The book has been sitting on my TBR shelf for about as long. I was in Crete this summer and it reminded me to finally read this modern classic.   

YOUR BOOK BEGINNINGS

Please add the link to your Book Beginnings post in the box below. If you share on social media, please use the #bookbeginnings hashtag.

Mister Linky's Magical Widgets -- Thumb-Linky widget will appear right here!
This preview will disappear when the widget is displayed on your site.
If this widget does not appear, click here to display it.

THE FRIDAY 56

The Friday 56 is a natural tie-in with Book Beginnings. The idea is to share a two-sentence teaser from page 56 of your featured book. If you are reading an ebook or audiobook, find your teaser from the 56% mark.

Freda at Freda's Voice started and hosted The Friday 56 for a long, long time. She is taking a break and Anne at My Head is Full of Books has taken on hosting duties in her absence. Please visit Anne's blog and link to your Friday 56 post.

MY FRIDAY 56

-- from Zorba the Greek:

"Would you believe it, boss! That day was the first time I knew what a woman was."

FROM THE PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION

First published in 1946, Zorba the Greek, is, on one hand, the story of a Greek working man named Zorba, a passionate lover of life, the unnamed narrator who he accompanies to Crete to work in a lignite mine, and the men and women of the town where they settle. On the other hand it is the story of God and man, The Devil and the Saints; the struggle of men to find their souls and purpose in life and it is about love, courage and faith.