Zorba

I have just finished the book, "Zorba the Greek," by Nikos Kazantzakis. It was very earthy...makes me want to see the old B&W movie with Anthony Quinn again, now that I have read the book. My friend, Roxanne, said she wanted to see the movie before traveling to Greece, but the story has very little to do with Greece. It is more a character study between a pagan/peasant and a Christian turned Buddhist/intellectual. The book has a lot more grit. It was written a year before I was born.

I posted recently about designating Mondays as a snippet day, then preceded to read two books that presented no snippets, a very rare thing, though they were interesting period pieces. (Well...it's not Monday, I know, but I am snippet-ing none the less. I think I am too loose for designated days.) Zorba, however was full of snippet-able lines. Here are two.

I think this snippet captures the essence of the 'Boss' character very well:

The stars were traveling round, the hours were passing—and, when I arose, I had, without knowing how, engraved on my mind the double task I had to accomplish on this shore: Escape from Buddha, rid myself by words of all my metaphysical cares and free my mind from vain anxiety; Make direct and firm contact with men (humankind), starting from this very moment. I said to myself, “Perhaps it is not too late.”

Earthy as Divine:

The imperishable force which transforms matter into spirit is divine. Each man has within him an element of the divine whirlwind and that is how he can convert bread, water and meat into thought and action. Zorba was right: 'Tell me what you do with what you eat and I will tell you who you are!”

….

I am off to the Chiropractor today to work on hips that have gone astray, which are giving me a pain in the neck, literally.

Happy Tuesday to you all.