The Fascinating Story of the Real-Life Alexis Zorbas

Anthony Quinn (left) arsenic Alexis Zorbas successful the iconic 1960’s movie Zorba the Greek. Public Domain

Zorba the Greek, the communicative of Alexis Zorbas, is 1 of the astir memorable films successful the past of the genre, and the Nikos Kazantzakis publication connected which it is based is 1 of the champion works of modern Greek literature.

Yet, it is not wide known that Zorbas was a existent idiosyncratic and not a fictional character. Nor is it known that the existent idiosyncratic had ne'er acceptable ft connected Crete and was not really named Alexis.

When Nikos Kazantzakis met Giorgos Zorbas connected Mount Athos successful 1915, the antheral impressed the writer truthful overmuch that helium befriended him, and helium was aboriginal inspired to constitute a caller based connected his carefree property and lust for life.

Real Zorbas was calved successful Macedonia

Giorgos Zorbas was calved successful Livadi, successful the Pieria Prefecture of Macedonia successful 1865, the lad of Fotis and Eugenia Zorbas. As an adult, helium near his hometown for Halkidiki and settled successful the colony of Paleochori. He stayed with a person determination and worked arsenic a lumberjack, blacksmith, tinker, stableman, and adjacent arsenic a miner for a French mining institution successful Stratoniki.

Zorbas met the manager of the mine, Giannis Kalkounis, and past “stole” and joined his girl Eleni. Giorgos and Eleni settled successful Paleochori and had 12 children, but lone seven, oregon perchance eight, of them survived. His woman past died, arsenic well, and the household lived successful a miserable information for years thereafter.

In 1915, Zorbas near for Mount Athos and became a monk. It was determination that helium met Kazantzakis and a beardown relationship bonded the 2 men. The two, who rapidly became friends, past moved to Mani, wherever Kazantzakis was assigned to negociate the Prastova excavation adjacent Stoupa, a seaside colony of the municipality of Lefktro successful Messinian Mani.

Greek writer Nikos Kazantzakis. Public Domain

Zorbas brought with him 5 of his orphaned children and Kazantzakis made him the main miner. Living successful the beauteous seaside colony distant from war, hunger, and trouble, the intelligence writer and restless, peripatetic miner bonded. The 2 men spent hours each time connected the majestic Kalogria Beach, talking astir life.

Kazantzakis creates Alexis Zorbas

Those endless hours of conversations with the man, arsenic good arsenic his exuberant property and behavior, inspired Kazantzakis to make the lovable, astir mythical Alexis Zorbas of the publication and consequent movie.

Kazantzakis admired the mode Zorbas enjoyed life, love, food, motion, and creation to the fullest. He was amazed by the man’s restlessness, his benignant heart, open-mindedness, and laid-back attitude. Kazantzakis aboriginal described Zorbas succinctly arsenic “an fantabulous eater, drinker, hard idiosyncratic and a hobo.” A jack of each trades that nary 4 walls could contain.

In 1920, Zorbas followed Kazantzakis to the Black Sea region, arsenic the writer was appointed an envoy of the Greek authorities aft the Pontian genocide. There, Kazantzakis rescued astir 100,000 Pontians, transporting them to Thessaloniki, according to Greek Foreign Ministry records.

After the extremity of the Pontus mission, the 2 friends separated and ne'er met again. Yet, Giorgos Zorbas continued to live, dance, drink, and devour and archer jokes. He continued to bask successful the prima successful Kazantzakis’ mind.

Zorbas’ location successful Paleochori to go a museum

The location successful Paleochori, Halkidiki wherever Nikos Kazantzakis’ hero, Giorgos Zorbas, lived for 22 years, raising a ample household and moving chiefly arsenic a miner, volition soon beryllium converted into a real-life integer museum.

The heirs of the spot decided to donate it to the Aristotle municipality. The program to beforehand the Zorbas location was presented successful 2020 astatine an lawsuit held successful Paleochori successful the beingness of the Deputy Minister of the Interior, Theodoros Karaoglou, liable for Macedonia-Thrace issues.

Speaking astatine the event, Aristotle politician Stelios Valianos announced that a fiscal and method connection is already being prepared for the submission and integration of the restoration task and the promotion of the “Alexis” Zorbas house.

“This is wherever the miner who aboriginal inspired Nikos Kazantzakis lived…after they met connected a travel to Mount Athos [and] this is the spot wherever his property was shaped and aboriginal became a Kazantzakis publication translated into 34 languages and a movie by Michael Cacoyiannis that won 3 Oscars, portion it was nominated for 4 more, contiguous reaching the constituent of being a planetary marque name,” the politician stated.

Giorgos Zorbas. Public Domain

“Here, successful this house, successful Paleochori, a constituent of humanities notation for Alexis Zorbas, Giorgos Zorbas, arsenic his chap citizens knew him, volition beryllium created,” Valianos declared.

The politician besides stated that the extremity is for the depository to go a destination for visitors. It volition harvester integer exertion and folklore exhibits, and it volition person regular guides. It volition beryllium connected by walking routes to different notation points successful the country and supply networking opportunities with different places wherever Giorgos Zorbas visited oregon stayed.

For his part, the Deputy Minister said that “Alexis Zorbas is simply a planetary marque sanction that has been identified with Greece and the indestructible powerfulness of the Greek soul,” adding that the depository volition go a tourer landmark.

A folklore depository representing the play during which Zorbas lived and worked successful Paleochori volition beryllium established connected the archetypal floor. The 2nd level volition location the main integer depository with the conversion of rooms into panoramic viewing screens.

With the recruitment of actors and the usage of caller technologies, Zorbas volition beryllium “revived” erstwhile again to invited visitors and usher them into his life, with references to existent humanities sources successful the enactment of Nikos Kazantzakis and successful the Michael Cacoyiannis film.