What do You think about Report To Greco (1975)?
If "Zorba The Greek" seems semi-autobiographical then 'Report To Greco' is wholly autobiographical and pretends to be nothing else. Written while close to death, it has not suffered from endless rewrites and comes over as being a fresh and gutsy report back on life from Kazantzakis to the painter El Greco. It is, as you would expect, written in the first person but does not suffer the fate of sounding as if directed to a mass audience. The clever title, indicating a report to one person, gives the writer a vehicle in which he can write intimately, to an old friend. Kazantzakis has poured his heart, and the heart of Crete, into this book. We learn what has shaped this man in his childhood and youth (Kazantzakis would have said 'shaped and molded the clay that is man') from his earliest influences of "The Lives Of The Saints" through war and the hatred of Turks to the Catholic school on Naxos, their island retreat.His lifetime spans from 1883, through the Cretan Revolt that started in 1897 and takes you through his education on Naxos before further education at Athens, his job as a journalist, his books and his travels. His search for religion and study of Buddhism based on his Greek Orthodox upbringing are mirrored in the same quest by the Englishman in Zorba The Greek. I have only been, briefly, to Heraklion, on Crete, once but have vowed to return and to find his tomb to pay homage.Kazantzakis' father, Michael, returned from Naxos to fight for Crete and wrote back to his son, a 14 year old Nikos;-"I'm doing my duty, fighting the turks. You fight too: stand your ground and don't let those Catholics put ideas into your head. They're dogs, just like the Turks. You're from Crete, don't forget. Your mind isn't your own, it belongs to Crete. Sharpen it as much as you can, so that one day you can use it to liberate Crete. Since you can't help with arms, why not with your mind? It too is a musket. Do you understand what I'm asking of you? Say yes! That's all for today, tomorrow and always. Do not disgrace me !"We learn that, for instance, Nikos had a love of cherries, a love that he gave to Zorba in 'Zorba the Greek' for Zorba to eat until he was sick, never to want a cheerry again. Many influences, detailed in this book, have shaped and influenced his novels - this is a must read for anyone who has read any of Kazantzakis' novels and wants a deeper insight into what made the man tick. Some of the more passionate chapters, for me, come after his visit to Assisi, through Mount Athos, Jerusalem and to the desert at Sinai. Here I was much reminded of Carlo Carretto's In Search Of The Beyond where both authors seem to have had similar thought patterns about the spirituality of the desert.
—Clive Thompson
В „Рапорт пред Ел Греко“ има описание на смокиня и книгата до средата е точно такава – дъхава, сочна, примамваща. Медено разказва авторът, усеща се положителния заряд на детството. Страниците преливат от южна топлина. Дори когато Никос разказва за строгия си баща. Ето по малко за всеки от тримата важни възрастни в живота на малкото дете.Бащата. „Мъчен човек, трудно поносим. […] Тежко сърце, опако. Защо? Здрав беше, добре вървяха работите му, не можеше да се оплаче нито от жена си, нито от децата си; и хората го уважаваха […] (view spoiler)[ Но не му олекваше на сърцето. „Защо никога не се засмива и твоята уста, капитан Михалис?“ – осмели се да го попита веднъж капитан Еляс от Месара. – „Защо е черен гарванът, капитан Елас?“ – отвърна баща ми и изплю угарката, която беше захапал.“ (hide spoiler)]
—Кремена Михайлова
اگر میشد به این کتاب ۶ یا حتی ۸ ستاره بدهم میدادم! نصاب امتیازدهیام را جابهجا کرد.ترجمهی استخوانداری هم داشت.
—Seyed hosein morakabi
