Peter Bien is Emeritus Professor Engelse Taal en Vergelijkende Literatuurwetenschap aan Dartmouth College. Bekend om zijn vertalingen, met name van de werken van Nikos Kazantzakis, duikt zijn wetenschap in de moderne Griekse literatuur en de verbanden ervan met bredere literaire en filosofische tradities. Zijn academische werk biedt diepgaande inzichten in de complexe thema's die worden onderzocht door de auteurs die hij vertaalt, en benadrukt universele menselijke vragen die resoneren over culturen heen.
A biography of Nikos Kazantzakis. It describes his struggle with political questions that were in reality aspects of a fervent religious search. It features his experiments with communism in turbulent Greece, his visits to Soviet Russia, and the publication of his epic Odyssey in 1938.
Focusing on the latter part of Nikos Kazantzakis's life, this biography explores his spiritual journey and the political turmoil of 20th-century Greece. Peter Bien presents Kazantzakis as a complex genius, whose artistic endeavors, while not always successful, were profoundly impactful. This second volume delves into the years following 1938, highlighting the creation of his most famous works, including Zorba the Greek and The Last Temptation of Christ, which solidified his legacy.
Kazantzakis' deep connection to demotic Greek, the everyday language of the people, profoundly influenced his literary work and political engagement. This obsession shaped his writing style and ambitions, but also posed challenges in his epic, the Odyssey. However, it found its true expression in his translations of Homer's Iliad and in notable novels like Zorba the Greek, The Last Temptation of Christ, and The Greek Passion, illustrating the tension between his artistic aspirations and the cultural context of his time.