Kazantzakis: Politics of the Spirit, Volume 1

by Peter A. Bien

"No author who lives in Greece," writes Peter Bien, "can avoid politics." This first volume of his major intellectual biography of Nikos Kazantzakis approaches the distinguished--and controversial--writer by describing his struggle with political questions that were in reality aspects of a fervent religious search.

Beginning with Kazantzakis's early career in fin-de-siecle Paris and his discovery of William James, Nietzsche, and Bergson, the book continues by describing his experiments with communism in turbulent Greece, his visits to Soviet Russia, and the publication of his epic Odyssey in 1938. Bien demonstrates that politics and religion cannot be separated in Kazantzakis's development. His major concern was personal salvation, but the method he employed to win that salvation was political engagement. Did deliverance lie in nationalism? Communism? Fascism? He eventually rejected each of these possible solutions as morally appalling. Abused by both left and right, he insisted on an "eschatological politics" of spiritual fulfillment.

This compelling biography will be essential reading for Kazantzakis scholars and for a wide audience of those who already admire the Greek author's work. In addition, it will provide an introduction to the first three decades of Kazantzakis's career for those who have yet to enjoy such passionate and stirring novels as Zorba the Greek, The Greek Passion, and The Last Temptation of Christ.

This first volume provides an introduction to the initial three decades of Kazantzakis's career for those who have enjoyed such vibrant and stirring novels as Zorba the Greek, The Greek Passion, and The Last Temptation of Christ.

344 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 1989

About the author

Peter Bien (often credited as P.A. Bien when translating) is Professor Emeritus of English and Comparative Literature at Dartmouth College, and a former president of the Modern Greek Studies Association.

Reviews

[Petr Burianek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peter Bien, widely regarded as the authority of Kazantzakian studies and one of the author's most astute interpreters, delivers a hugely influential achievement in Kazantzakis: Politics of the Spirit, Volume 1. Covering the author's career from its inception in 1906 up to the publication of his epic The Odyssey: A Modern Sequel in 1938, this book provides an insightful and indispensable account of Kazantzakis's intellectual development, brilliantly illustrating how all the disparate pieces of his complex personality puzzle fit together.
The genius of Bien's work lies in its central, defining thesis: to truly comprehend Kazantzakis, one must read him not as a standard political writer, but as a "metapolitical" one. Bien persuasively demonstrates that Kazantzakis's myriad political permutations—from his early Dragoumian nationalism to his highly idiosyncratic, anti-materialist communism—were completely symbiotic with his spiritual quest. In Bien's analysis, every political action Kazantzakis took was ultimately subordinate to his metaphysical obsession with personal salvation, famously encapsulated by his Dantean motto, "come l'uom s'eterna" (how man makes himself eternal).
Furthermore, Bien is to be highly praised for his methodological balance. He explicitly avoids the common biographical traps of sacrificing the literary works merely to ferret out historical details, just as he avoids utilizing the literature purely for psychological reductionism. Instead, Bien seamlessly synthesizes Kazantzakis's outward worldly affairs with rigorous analyses of his texts.
The book shines particularly bright in its exploration of Kazantzakis's philosophical mentors. Bien expertly charts how Kazantzakis's worldview was forged in the crucible of his transitional age, heavily influenced by the destructive force of Nietzsche, the nihilism of Buddha, and above all, the vitalism of Henri Bergson. Bien meticulously unpacks how Kazantzakis transformed Bergson's élan vital into a unique mythopoesis and a "theology of activism", viewing the political and evolutionary struggle as the literal transubstantiation of matter into ascending spirit.
Ultimately, Bien captures the paradoxical, complicated wholeness of his character religious and political. It is a masterful, landmark study and an absolute must-read for anyone hoping to navigate the profound philosophical and metapolitical currents driving one of the twentieth century's most extraordinary minds.

[Jennifer Rockwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential reading for anyone interested in decoding the complicated and controversial works of one of the greatest Greek writers of the 20th century, Nikos Kazantzakis. An incredibly literate, educated, man, Kazantzakis works are The first volume focuses on his early career and writings, but, as with any artist, these years formed the basis for many of his later works as well. Kazantzakis was an incredibly interesting, complicated man and artist and Peter Bien's book is a phenomenal resource for anyone interested in his work.

[Anna Coopey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is obviously a must-read for anyone interested in or working on Nikos Kazantzakis. It delves into Nikos' life, politics, and philosophy in fantastic detail, and makes understandable a man who is so deeply bamboozling as to be inapproachable - much like his The Odyssey: A Modern Sequel.

Peter is a giant of Modern Greek literary studies, and it has been a privilege to work remotely with him and to receive his good wishes for my own work.