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Nikos Kazantzakis was a novelist, poet, playwright, journalist, philosopher, and politician, and one of the most important figures in modern Greek literature. He gained worldwide fame after the film adaptation of his novel Zorba the Greek in 1964.

Born in 1883 in Heraklion, Crete, Kazantzakis studied law in Athens and later philosophy in Paris, where he was influenced by Henri Bergson and Friedrich Nietzsche. His early works revealed his philosophical and spiritual struggles, themes that remained central throughout his career.

As a journalist, he worked for major Greek newspapers and travelled widely, reporting from the Soviet Union, Palestine, Spain, and China. His travels inspired both his fiction and his travel books, Travelling (Taxidevontas).

As a philosopher and thinker, he expressed his ideas in The Saviours of God: Spiritual Exercises (Askitiki), a key text where he explored the meaning of human struggle and freedom.

As a poet, he devoted years to composing his epic The Odyssey, a 33,333-line sequel to Homer’s poem, which he considered his greatest work.

As a political figure, he served briefly as Minister without Portfolio in 1945 and worked for UNESCO in 1947, promoting the translation of world classics to encourage intercultural understanding.

His literary works include major novels such as Zorba the Greek, Christ Recrucified, Captain Michalis, and The Last Temptation of Christ. The latter caused controversy and was condemned by religious authorities, but it reinforced his reputation as a writer who dared to question dogma.

Until his death in 1957, Kazantzakis remained a restless and creative spirit, combining his roles as artist, thinker, and visionary, seeking to express humanity’s eternal quest for freedom, truth, and spiritual fulfillment.

Aristotle: A Key Figure of Western Thought

Aristotle was an ancient Greek philosopher and scientist who lived in the 4th century BC. He was born in Stagira, in northern Greece, and is considered one of the most important thinkers in Western civilization. His work influenced philosophy, science, politics, and education for more than 2,000 years.

From a young age, Aristotle was interested in science because his father was a doctor. When he was 17, he went to Athens to study at Plato’s Academy. He stayed there for about 20 years and became one of Plato’s best students. After Plato’s death, Aristotle left Athens and later became the teacher of Alexander the Great in Macedonia. This experience helped shape Alexander’s education and ideas.Aristotle tutored Alexander the Great in a broad curriculum including philosophy, ethics, politics, logic, rhetoric, science (biology, zoology, medicine), mathematics, history, and literature (especially Homer), aiming to mold him into an enlightened ruler. He instilled a passion for Homer's Iliad, providing a model for heroic leadership, and nurtured Alexander's scientific curiosity, influencing his later expeditions with naturalists.

Later, Aristotle returned to Athens and founded his own school, the Lyceum, also known as the Peripatetic School. Teaching was divided into lessons for advanced students and lessons for beginners. The school was also an important research center, with a large library and scientific tools.

Aristotle wrote many works on different subjects, such as logic, biology, ethics, politics, poetry, and metaphysics. Some of his most famous works are Nicomachean Ethics, Politics, Poetics, and Metaphysics. In Nicomachean Ethics, he explains that happiness (eudaimonia) is the goal of life and that it can be achieved through virtue and balance. He believed that moral virtue is a habit and that we should avoid extremes.

In politics, Aristotle studied different forms of government and believed that the purpose of the city is self-sufficiency and justice. He also made important contributions to science and literature, especially through his ideas about nature and drama.

Aristotle’s ideas continued to influence many cultures. His works were studied in the Byzantine Empire, the Islamic world, and medieval Europe. Important thinkers like Thomas Aquinas, Averroes, and later scientists such as Charles Darwin were inspired by him.

The Islamic civilization played a crucial role in preserving, translating (into Arabic), studying, and commenting on Aristotle's works after his death, with scholars like Al-Kindi, Al-Farabi, Avicenna, and Averroes significantly integrating his philosophy into their culture and influencing later European thinkers, alongside the Byzantine Empire preserving Greek texts.

Today, Aristotle is remembered as a thinker who tried to understand the world through observation, logic, and reason. His ideas remain important and relevant even in modern times.