George Zorbas
Encyclopedia
George Zorbas was the character upon whom Nikos Kazantzakis
based his fictional Alexis Zorbas, the protagonist of his novel Zorba the Greek
.
He was born in the village of Katafygi, West Pieria, Central Macedonia
, (now part of Velventos
municipality), in what was then the Ottoman Empire
in around 1867. He was the son of Fotios Zorbas, a wealthy landowner and sheep-owner and had three siblings, Katerina, John, and Xenophon. He worked in his fields and flocks in Katafygi, became a woodcutter, and later left for Palaiochori, Chalkidiki
, where he spent the most decisive years of his life, 1889–1911. He worked as a miner for a French company in Gisvoro (Γήσβορο) and became friends with the foreman, John Kalkounis (Γιάννης Καλκούνης). He eloped with Kalkounis's daughter Eleni and eventually had eight children. By the end of this period, war and the death of his wife brought great unhappiness to his family.
After all this, he left Palaiochori for Eleftherohori, Pieria, only 8 km from Kolindros
, where his brother George, a doctor, lived. In 1915, he decided to become a monk
and left for Mount Athos
. It was there that he met Kazantzakis and they become close friends. They went to Mani
together, where they worked as miners in Prastova. It was their experiences here that Kazantzakis later wrote into The Life and Times of Alexis Zorbas, later translated as Zorba the Greek. His eventful life ended in Skopje
, where he settled, remarried, and had more children. He died in 1942 and is buried in the Butel cemetery.
Nikos Kazantzakis
Nikos Kazantzakis was a Greek writer and philosopher, celebrated for his novel Zorba the Greek, considered his magnum opus...
based his fictional Alexis Zorbas, the protagonist of his novel Zorba the Greek
Zorba the Greek (novel)
Zorba the Greek is a novel written by the Greek author Nikos Kazantzakis, first published in 1946. It is the tale of a young Greek intellectual who ventures to escape his bookish life with the aid of the boisterous and mysterious Alexis Zorba...
.
He was born in the village of Katafygi, West Pieria, Central Macedonia
Central Macedonia
Central Macedonia is one of the thirteen regions of Greece, consisting of the central part of the region of Macedonia. With a population of over 1.8 million, it is the second most populous in Greece after Attica.- Administration :...
, (now part of Velventos
Velventos
Velventos is a town and a former municipality in Kozani peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Servia-Velventos, of which it is a municipal unit. It lies at the foot of the Pierian Mountains, 33 km northeast of the city...
municipality), in what was then the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
in around 1867. He was the son of Fotios Zorbas, a wealthy landowner and sheep-owner and had three siblings, Katerina, John, and Xenophon. He worked in his fields and flocks in Katafygi, became a woodcutter, and later left for Palaiochori, Chalkidiki
Palaiochori, Chalkidiki
Palaiochori is a village in Chalkidiki, Greece, part of the municipality Arnaia. It is situated between the villages Neochori , Megali Panagia and Arnaia .-History:Neposi Castle...
, where he spent the most decisive years of his life, 1889–1911. He worked as a miner for a French company in Gisvoro (Γήσβορο) and became friends with the foreman, John Kalkounis (Γιάννης Καλκούνης). He eloped with Kalkounis's daughter Eleni and eventually had eight children. By the end of this period, war and the death of his wife brought great unhappiness to his family.
After all this, he left Palaiochori for Eleftherohori, Pieria, only 8 km from Kolindros
Kolindros
Kolindros is a town and a former municipality in Pieria regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Pydna-Kolindros, of which it is a municipal unit. Based on a 2001 census, the municipal unit contained 5,223 inhabitants.-External links:**...
, where his brother George, a doctor, lived. In 1915, he decided to become a monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
and left for Mount Athos
Mount Athos
Mount Athos is a mountain and peninsula in Macedonia, Greece. A World Heritage Site, it is home to 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries and forms a self-governed monastic state within the sovereignty of the Hellenic Republic. Spiritually, Mount Athos comes under the direct jurisdiction of the...
. It was there that he met Kazantzakis and they become close friends. They went to Mani
Mani Peninsula
The Mani Peninsula , also long known as Maina or Maïna, is a geographical and cultural region in Greece. Mani is the central peninsula of the three which extend southwards from the Peloponnese in southern Greece. To the east is the Laconian Gulf, to the west the Messenian Gulf...
together, where they worked as miners in Prastova. It was their experiences here that Kazantzakis later wrote into The Life and Times of Alexis Zorbas, later translated as Zorba the Greek. His eventful life ended in Skopje
Skopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
, where he settled, remarried, and had more children. He died in 1942 and is buried in the Butel cemetery.