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A review by beatrice_apetrei
الحرية أو الموت by نيكوس كازانتزاكيس, Nikos Kazantzakis
5.0
Freedom or Death is the fourth book written by Greek author Nikos Kazantzakis that I managed to get my hands on. I started it not because of the summary or plot, or good reviews, but because of its author ( and I have no shame to admit it ). Of course, it doesn’t mean there were no chances of disliking it, that was one of the possibilities, but him being my favorite author so far and having read other 3 books by him in the last 6 months, I was somehow certain of it.
Reading his previous works, I was always intrigued by his characters never-dying desire to see Crete released of the Turkish authority. For Kazantzakis, Crete is not only his physical birth place, but his souls home. No matter where he traveled, what he saw and learned, where he lived, his mind was always in Crete and his heart always bled for it. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t know much history and all I know about the ottoman dominion there is from his books only.
In my opinion though, this obsession of his with Crete is exhausting. Most of his protagonists are exhausting. Beautiful, but exhausting. The whole time I was reading this, I kept wondering, what makes them so passionate about a freedom that shows itself only when death occurs ? Why can’t they see that there is more to life than this controlling obsession they allowed to take root in their minds ?
There was this fearless power that tied strong men to Crete, making them loyal to it. A power that makes men deny themselves any kind of pleasure because they don’t find it appropriate to laugh or smile while having Crete under the Turkish rule. Here, Crete is a living being, breathing, screaming and at night going silent. It is observed by many and pitied for its helpless desire to be free. But it keeps fighting, men keep fighting.
It’s a story about loyalty, hatred, pride, reason, death, ambition and freedom. Or is it better said lack of freedom ? Lack of freedom drives men insane, discourages them, holds them prisoners.
How does this affect their lives ? The connection they have with other people ( children, wives ), their feelings, desires ? That’s what this novel is about : the lives of those who had fallen under the charms of this dream.
I have talked about Kazantzakis’ writing in a previously written review of [b:Christ Recrucified|82531|Christ Recrucified|Nikos Kazantzakis|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1366544033s/82531.jpg|1685425], I will not repeat myself, just add that somehow it manages to express how events, places, spaces, people are perceived in a way that makes everything feel horrifyingly real.
I don’t believe this novel is for everyone, not because it’s hard to read, but, how I’ve previously stated, it can easily exhaust you. It made me sigh a lot, made me sad and left me with a bitter taste. After all, this book is about freedom and death.
Reading his previous works, I was always intrigued by his characters never-dying desire to see Crete released of the Turkish authority. For Kazantzakis, Crete is not only his physical birth place, but his souls home. No matter where he traveled, what he saw and learned, where he lived, his mind was always in Crete and his heart always bled for it. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t know much history and all I know about the ottoman dominion there is from his books only.
In my opinion though, this obsession of his with Crete is exhausting. Most of his protagonists are exhausting. Beautiful, but exhausting. The whole time I was reading this, I kept wondering, what makes them so passionate about a freedom that shows itself only when death occurs ? Why can’t they see that there is more to life than this controlling obsession they allowed to take root in their minds ?
There was this fearless power that tied strong men to Crete, making them loyal to it. A power that makes men deny themselves any kind of pleasure because they don’t find it appropriate to laugh or smile while having Crete under the Turkish rule. Here, Crete is a living being, breathing, screaming and at night going silent. It is observed by many and pitied for its helpless desire to be free. But it keeps fighting, men keep fighting.
It’s a story about loyalty, hatred, pride, reason, death, ambition and freedom. Or is it better said lack of freedom ? Lack of freedom drives men insane, discourages them, holds them prisoners.
How does this affect their lives ? The connection they have with other people ( children, wives ), their feelings, desires ? That’s what this novel is about : the lives of those who had fallen under the charms of this dream.
I have talked about Kazantzakis’ writing in a previously written review of [b:Christ Recrucified|82531|Christ Recrucified|Nikos Kazantzakis|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1366544033s/82531.jpg|1685425], I will not repeat myself, just add that somehow it manages to express how events, places, spaces, people are perceived in a way that makes everything feel horrifyingly real.
I don’t believe this novel is for everyone, not because it’s hard to read, but, how I’ve previously stated, it can easily exhaust you. It made me sigh a lot, made me sad and left me with a bitter taste. After all, this book is about freedom and death.