born Dec. 2, 1885, Iráklion, Crete, Ottoman Empire
died Oct. 26, 1957, Freiburg im Breisgau, W.Ger.
Greek writer.
Educated in law and philosophy, he traveled widely and finally settled on the island of Aegina before World War II. He is best known for his widely translated novels, including Zorba the Greek (1946; film, 1964), The Greek Passion (1954), and The Last Temptation of Christ (1955; film, 1988). His works also include essays, travel books, tragedies, and translations of classics such as Dante 's Divine Comedy and Goethe 's Faust .