On the beach of the Greek island of Crete, Nikos was born in February 1883 AD and lived like the heroes of his great novel. He never missed a chance to visit a place, live there for a while, and seize any opportunity that arose. After receiving his primary education on the island, he earned a law degree from the University of Athens, then traveled to Paris, the city of light, to study philosophy in-depth, under the guidance of philosopher Henri Bergson, who had a significant influence on him, clearly noted in his philosophical novel Zorba.

He was passionate about philosophy to the extent that he spent two years of his life in a monastery for contemplation and solitude, where he had a harsh spiritual experience. He was then appointed as Minister of Education in Greece, but he soon retired from public work entirely to dedicate himself to writing exclusively. This decision resulted from the solitude he chose for himself in that remote monastery.

He then settled in France and moved between there and Germany, where he died in a Berlin hospital. During the last days of his life, he published two books about his most important teachers, Bergson and Nietzsche.

In his novel, Nikos confirms that Zorba is a real, flesh-and-blood person, an elderly man nearing seventy years old living in a village on the island of Crete. Nikos also affirms his love for this character he wrote about and the profound impact it had on him. In the preface of the novel, he writes, "Zorba left a deep impression on me, and if I could choose a spiritual guide for this life, I would choose Zorba without the slightest hesitation."

The novel revolves around two central characters, Basil, a young man who spent his life reading poetry and philosophy and admiring the Italian poet Dante, and Alexis Zorba, an old man looking for work in one of the mines owned by the young man. Zorba describes himself as an expert in quarry and mining operations and seeks work. Impressed by him, Basil takes him to that remote island in Crete on a ship sailing to this unknown world.

In the novel, we get to know Basil's view of the old man. Zorba didn't go to school and didn't receive his education in any traditional sense. Instead, he gained his knowledge from life experience. This is why Zorba is like the snake, venerated by some primitive peoples for its connection to the earth. He understands the inner workings of things and is closely connected to everything related to the earth's life.

On the island of Crete, Zorba begins work. Finding that the mine needs support, he thinks of the trees in the nearby forest owned by the monastery. He befriends the monks, builds a strong relationship with them, and even dances with them, leaving Basil amazed and confirming Zorba's success with the monastery's monks.

Zorba represents the natural understanding between nature and man, much like Zarathustra in Nietzsche's book. For him, the world was heavy, but clear, and he lived a realistic friendship with nature without the interference of the mind, which distorts things and complicates ideas. With this instinct, he could love, hate, fight, work, and solve all the problems that obstructed his life's path without needing to refer to books or the sayings of philosophers.

The novel is a top-notch philosophical work, explaining that immersing oneself in life's details with all its complexities, shapes, and various battles with humans is nothing but a way to understand it. Rather than lamenting and weeping harmfully and pointlessly, there are many sensory means to realize that you can overcome life's problems considering them as an eternal battle, not necessarily to be won or lost. The real victory lies in the art of dealing with them and not getting bored of them, in their sensuality and the ability to enjoy the blessings and advantages they offer.