Nikos Kazantzakis in his novel Zorba the Greek was influenced by the philosophy of the German Friedrich Nietzsche. Kazantzakis had translated Nietzsche into Greek and was very familiar with his works and his philosophy. As presented by Kazantzakis, the Nietzschean philosophy is modified by its juxtaposition with traditional Greek concerns derived from mythology. The novel came from the later portion of the author's life as he continued to explore the spiritual plight of mankind in his fiction. It is from these later years that his most important and popular works derive, notably Zorba the Greek and The Last Temptation of Christ. He focused in these years on a traditional Greek issue, the Apollonian-Dionysian dichotomy. In Zorba the Greek, this is evident as the author presents two characters who come from opposite poles in this conflict, the figure of Zorba being the sensualist, Dionysian figure, while the "boss" is one who shows Apollonian traits of reserve and restraint. Zorba and the boss learn from one another but emerge essentially unchanged in their orientations. Another influence found in this work is that of Nietzsche, as noted, and here the idea of Zorba as incipient ubermensch emerges.
Kazantzakis in his autobiography makes reference to the most important influences in his life, though he does indicate as well that he has done most of it himself:
Very few people, living or dead, have aided my struggle. If however, I wished to designate which people left their traces embedded most deeply in my soul, I would perhaps designate Homer, Buddha, Nietzsche, Bergson, and Zorba. . . Nietzsche enriched me with new anguishes and instructed me how to transform misfortune, bitterness, and uncertainty into pride; Zorba taught me to love life and have no fear of death (Kazantzakis, Report to Greco 445).
In the novel, Kazantzakis dramatizes what is at heart a debate between two men, Zorba and the boss. The boss is a scho...