Alexis Sorbas

I wanted to read this book for many. many years. I think it was the sirtaki dance interpretation by Anthony Quinn in the movie which made me longing for this book.
It is so pleasantly old style without fear of expressing feelings with strong poetic analogies. The book evokes the life on the Greek island of Crete in the 30-ties. A writer (the author himself) wants to live the real life and buys the concession to exploit a coal deposit on Crete where he is originally from. On its way he meets Alexis Sorbas. he becomes his teacher how to live, his natural intelligence surprises the author again and again. He is not as simple as you would expect. He lives with his contradictions but the big difference is: he assumes these as given. He does not want to change the world to be better or change even himself. In the course of their stay on Crete teh big questions of life are touched, some murders happen, passion for the ugly and the beautiful women will draw your partisanship and Sorbas dances the unspeakable.
Full of life and it is only a book!