V. Folio
V. Folio
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Kazantzakis' Odyssey - A Modern Sequel - rambling introduction
I always forget to mention stuff in these videos. I always distract myself - I would have said, also:
-The poem is bookended by dedications to the sun, that being the ultimate symbol of transcendence and Kazantzakis' evocation of synthesis.
-Traveling around Greece, Kazantzakis picked up all kinds of obscure local dialects and words which weren't part of Demotic Greek and used them in the text.
-The poem was controversial on its publication because it was an epic poem and epic poems were supposed to be a. in formal language and b. long dead. This doesn't come up in translation (Kimon Friar's is very Anglo-Saxon on purpose) so I forgot to mention it. I don't usually talk much on context, since you can look that up yourself - mostly the meaning I get out of it, and my experience with it.
-It's a masterpiece and the ending is very beautiful. That it's worth reading is beyond doubt.
Hopefully this is a better video than the last one on Kazantzakis, which has some mistakes.
There's plenty of new writing on my website:
versofolio.xyz
Переглядів: 346

Відео

A brief letter to all political actors and intellectuals
Переглядів 170Рік тому
website: versofolio.xyz
Modern Greek Myth - Arion's Synthesis
Переглядів 396Рік тому
In which, with the aid of a famous poet from folklore, a hidden conclusion is reached along with several visible ones. This video is mostly about my recent approach to art, though my conclusions such as they are can be applied to life generally. versofolio.xyz
Updates; Advancing thought without thinking
Переглядів 2012 роки тому
Probably you'd expect more from me after all this time. But I really don't have much for you. I might, later. This is on: my small return, epics and their style, some recommendations, magnanimity, something on philosophy of creativity. Thanks for subscribing if you're new. I'm honoured by your attentions, whether you've been here a while or not. Also, I considered talking about Robert Fripp's n...
Myth of Orestes, Escaping the Self with Art
Переглядів 4052 роки тому
Covered: The life of Orestes, escaping repetition/determinism, the nature of social structures and the spread of religion, individual and collective art, "pure art", the absolute state of the modern intelligentsia. versofolio.xyz
Second Year of the Four Emperors
Переглядів 2063 роки тому
"Even if we painstakingly piece together something lost, it doesn't mean things will ever go back to how they were." Roberto Calasso (b. 1941), Mikis Theodorakis (b. 1925), Kentaro Miura (b. 1966), Norm Macdonald (b. 1959) - - d. 2021. versofolio.xyz
Testimony of treasures from a mammal's notebook
Переглядів 2003 роки тому
Gaspard de la Nuit - Aloysius Bertrand Testimony - Solomon Volkov/Dmitri Shostakovich(?) Mammal's Notebook - Erik Satie and adjacent, and others. I recognise how fragmented my comments are on each of the texts - I'm really here to introduce them, not to explain them. Apologies for the long absence - and for this relatively pedestrian return. Hello to the new subscribers. versofolio.xyz
Weather and the Scythe
Переглядів 1353 роки тому
In which a humble weatherman discourses on old ideas. versofolio.xyz
The Better Murakami
Переглядів 4,2 тис.3 роки тому
This...is your brain. This...is your brain on Haruki Murakami. versofolio.xyz
Petersburg by Andrei Bely
Переглядів 2,3 тис.3 роки тому
[for those who clicked away after the first sentence, I meant 'in Russian.'] Andrei Bely (1880-1936), born Boris Bugaev, was a Symbolist writer who at the turn of the century wrote a book regarded as Russia's 'Ulysses.' A modernist monster of a work incorporating literature about Petersburg, his Symbolist ideas and those of his intellectual idols, worries of imminent revolution, and the eternal...
The Speech That Would Have Saved Socrates
Переглядів 1493 роки тому
An excerpt from I. F. Stone's Trial of Socrates. versofolio.xyz
"Australians don't write books"
Переглядів 2443 роки тому
Almost half of adult Australians have difficulty reading. Our most popular books are pop crime novels and other genre fiction. Yet there's hope if you're willing to look for it. versofolio.xyz
Accounts, Biographies, Confessions, Memoirs
Переглядів 2533 роки тому
Looking at a pile of random first-hand accounts on my desk. The audio is especially terrible, sorry. Really ought to find myself a proper microphone. versofolio.xyz
Against Grand Narratives
Переглядів 3143 роки тому
I feel I'm beginning to get a bit repetitive. This should have been an addendum to an earlier video - but I hadn't thought it through properly at the time. I'll try to stop the constant framework talk from now on. It will never matter what a body without organs is until after it’s ceased to matter and some academic wants to prove it was important at the time. versofolio.xyz
6 things I learned writing a novel
Переглядів 2394 роки тому
6 things I learned writing a novel
Kazuo Ishiguro: Approaching the Novels
Переглядів 1,8 тис.4 роки тому
Kazuo Ishiguro: Approaching the Novels
I found the saddest book.
Переглядів 7794 роки тому
I found the saddest book.
Rambling about Rashomon (and 17 other stories)
Переглядів 4514 роки тому
Rambling about Rashomon (and 17 other stories)
Using history to escape the system
Переглядів 1,7 тис.4 роки тому
Using history to escape the system
Books I like and own, and updates
Переглядів 3964 роки тому
Books I like and own, and updates
modern greek myth: pygmalion and galatea
Переглядів 7704 роки тому
modern greek myth: pygmalion and galatea
how and why to read roberto calasso
Переглядів 8 тис.4 роки тому
how and why to read roberto calasso
rambling about isak dinesen's 'babette's feast'
Переглядів 4355 років тому
rambling about isak dinesen's 'babette's feast'
national literature might not exist
Переглядів 2675 років тому
national literature might not exist
how people should read books
Переглядів 5155 років тому
how people should read books
thinking about 'incel books'
Переглядів 6025 років тому
thinking about 'incel books'
How and why to read Nikos Kazantzakis
Переглядів 17 тис.5 років тому
How and why to read Nikos Kazantzakis
modern greek myth: tiresias
Переглядів 2,6 тис.5 років тому
modern greek myth: tiresias
two novels about jesuits in space
Переглядів 1705 років тому
two novels about jesuits in space
The fetish you didn't realise you had
Переглядів 3475 років тому
The fetish you didn't realise you had

КОМЕНТАРІ

  • @gethynwilliams
    @gethynwilliams Місяць тому

    I think ive read hunter, book of all books, tablet of destinies, cadmus and harmony and unnamable present at this point, in no oarticular order i must admit with much enjoyment but some confusion too. This video has helped me get some perspective on his work - thank you.

  • @78SR
    @78SR Місяць тому

    I think of him often during these rudderless dark days in America. Kazantzakis was a great guide for me during my late teens.

  • @CayusCaesar7
    @CayusCaesar7 Місяць тому

    Started " The Last Temptation of Christ" yesterday. Good prose.

  • @JohnHobitakis
    @JohnHobitakis Місяць тому

    The audiobook version came out this year, 2024, so I will give that a go.

  • @juleslund1515
    @juleslund1515 2 місяці тому

    I'm very excited to learn more about him. Thank you so much

  • @neiltobin693
    @neiltobin693 2 місяці тому

    🙋👉🌹🙏👀

  • @slavicgarou6414
    @slavicgarou6414 2 місяці тому

    You should never compare writers to each other. Both Murakami are great.

  • @Sureagurk
    @Sureagurk 3 місяці тому

    Der er somtings you got rorg , as my skript, I will come again .....1

  • @JoseManuelFerrerLozano
    @JoseManuelFerrerLozano 4 місяці тому

    Very good analysis, very well articulated and to the point. This way of incel reading of a dramatic novel seizing only the character but missing the authors point, really stays with me, the incel is even alienated from the stories he reads focusing only on the "vibe" more than the message. Also speaks out to the complete lack of media literacy.

  • @Manfred-nj8vz
    @Manfred-nj8vz 7 місяців тому

    This is a most welcome discussion of Kazantzakis's Opus magnum which would certainly motivate readers to give it a try; well done. If you are still interested in the topic Kazantzakis-Joyce there are two helpful sources, both written by William Bedell Stanford: a book called «The Ulysses theme», where in the 15th chapter («The Re-intergrated hero») there is a discussion on both Kazantzakis's and Joyce's portraits of Odysseus/Ulysses, as well as an article called «No Rest for Ulysses - from Homer to Kazantzakis». I'm sure you can find them easily - the article, at least, I was able to find it online. At the end of that article W. B. Stanford wrote this closing remark: "Mr. Friar has completed his task with a generously informative introduction, a synopsis of the story and notes full of out-of-the- way folklore. Metrists will find stimulating new material in his discussion of rhythms. Few authors have been so fortunate as Kazantzakis in having a poet, scholar, and disciple, as their first translator. The bigger the work of art, and the longer the tradition behind it, the harder it is to see it in a true perspective. Quantitatively there is no doubt that this is the largest version of the Odyssey ever made. And qualitatively? It will take a generation of readers and critics to decide this. The present writer can only say that after long study it still seems to rank with Joyce’s Ulysses as one of the great literary achievements of this century both as a development of the traditional Ulysses theme and - what matters much more - as a work of creative imagination." There is also another interesting video, another short introduction to this work, where Nichola Crocetti (he translated the epic into Italian in 2020) talks about Kazantzakis and his Odyssey. The discussion starts at 26:13 ua-cam.com/video/XgNJYHyXM58/v-deo.html V. Folio, you did a very nice job by introducing here on YT this masterful work, which deserves a much more wide appreciation indeed. With appreciation and greetings from Greece.

  • @luizfernandopenadacunha4998
    @luizfernandopenadacunha4998 7 місяців тому

    Calasso was the last of the wise men

  • @StreetDoc75
    @StreetDoc75 7 місяців тому

    DON'T COMMENT on Haruki Murakami unless u have read his full list !! The TRUTH is that his famous books - Norwegian Wood, Kafka, Wind-up bird, 1Q84 are NOT his Best at all. His BEST BOOKS are : 1. Killing Commendatore 2. After Dark 3. Hard-boiled Wonderland 4. Wild Sheep Chase 5. Sputnik Sweetheart 6. Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki Etc. They are matchless stories of Beauty 🤗

  • @fredriknylander3776
    @fredriknylander3776 7 місяців тому

    This is how I would rank the books: 1. Never Let Me Go 2. Klara and the Sun 3. An Artist of the Floating World 4. The Remains of the Day 5. A Pale View of Hills 6. Nocturnes 7. When We Were Orphans 8. The Buried Giant 9. The Unconsoled

  • @rubeng9092
    @rubeng9092 8 місяців тому

    Based King Crimson Enjoyer

  • @twostepClutch
    @twostepClutch 8 місяців тому

    Almost Transparent Blue is about $40 USD on Amazon as of spring '24.

  • @bretta7057
    @bretta7057 9 місяців тому

    I’m surprised (just because you appear to be knowledgeable about, and enthralled by, this guy) that you haven’t read “Saviours of God.” I only just heard of Kazantzakis yesterday, and just finished it. It’s beautiful mytho-poetic rambling, if you’re into that sorta thing. Anyway, good video (except did you say that Camus won a Nobel Prize in the 20’s?! Wasn’t he born in 1914😂), and I’m taking your advice and gonna dive into Zorba rn

    • @VersoFolioBooks
      @VersoFolioBooks 9 місяців тому

      thanks for the comment + rec - I recently finished the modern odyssey and gave a more in-depth look at it with some more philosophical notes, but still haven't read saviours of god, so (after an interval) that will be next). I made this video years ago and have no idea what I was thinking with the nobel date lol, probably just one of those mixups between my tongue and my brain fairly embarrassing mistake to have immortalised on youtube but whatever, this video seems to get people to read the books

  • @liquidpebbles7475
    @liquidpebbles7475 9 місяців тому

    Just as I was reading the Odissey for the first time, glad yo have news of your aliveness, liked the way you tied to robert fripps, massive kc fan as well :)

  • @Esoternet
    @Esoternet 9 місяців тому

    After reading and enjoying quite a few of the books you talked about in the past, i'm always looking forward to new videos from you. Thanks a lot and keep up the good work.

  • @conker690
    @conker690 10 місяців тому

    I think you and I have the exact same taste in books. I also absolutely can’t stand how repetitive HM is and utterly adore RM, struggling to get all my friends to read him.

    • @VersoFolioBooks
      @VersoFolioBooks 9 місяців тому

      I think it's crazy that nobody I know in real life has heard of ryu but they all know haruki

    • @conker690
      @conker690 9 місяців тому

      @@VersoFolioBooks Or Kazatzakis, even from people who like that sort of early 20th century literature.

  • @NGE71
    @NGE71 10 місяців тому

    The hands are back !

  • @solidsnake3014
    @solidsnake3014 10 місяців тому

    I hadn't thought of the Odyssey in terms of hospitality before, but now that you mention it it seems obvious.

    • @eskybakzu712
      @eskybakzu712 9 місяців тому

      Probably because to a modern mind it appears only a minor theme. A similar thing has happened to the Iliad. You could think about the Iliad in terms of proper burial, similar to Antigone.

  • @mmmoendo
    @mmmoendo 10 місяців тому

    Come on man, wtf. I just opened up this book last week lmao. Having done a deep dive on the Cantos recently, I can only hope (but see no evidence) that Ezra Pound and Kazantzakis read each other. Odysseus tackled from all angles in the 20th century. Anyway, another great video.

  • @NGE71
    @NGE71 11 місяців тому

    Where are those hands? hope you do more videos in the future.

  • @cv3183
    @cv3183 11 місяців тому

    One of the greatest of moderns. This video is a good short account of his work to assist prospective readers choose which work is best for them.

  • @kuttikuttan
    @kuttikuttan Рік тому

    Did anyone compare Kazantzakis and Marquez?

    • @Manfred-nj8vz
      @Manfred-nj8vz 7 місяців тому

      Yes. Roderick Beaton has, a famous Kazantzakis's scholar, in his article: «Of Crete and Other Demons: A Reading of Kazantzakis's Freedom and Death». This is the last sentence of the article's abstract: «But since Freedom and Death is a work of fiction, not of philosophy, it deserves to be read for the play of nonhuman forces acted out by its human protagonists, and hence may be compared with later South American fiction, especially that of Márquez».

    • @kuttikuttan
      @kuttikuttan 7 місяців тому

      ​@@Manfred-nj8vz Thank you very much for the information

    • @Manfred-nj8vz
      @Manfred-nj8vz 7 місяців тому

      @@kuttikuttan You can google also this: FOLK TYPE ELEMENTS IN THE NOVELS OF KAZANTZAKIS. There is also a comparison between the two authors.

  • @MarshallWheyman
    @MarshallWheyman Рік тому

    great video l, feel the same way

  • @JulianWyllie
    @JulianWyllie Рік тому

    I'm reading Almost Transparent Blue and I really like it. I watched Audition years ago so I'll go on a Ryū binge.

  • @GreyEyedAthena
    @GreyEyedAthena Рік тому

    So the penguin version is thé entire version of the original book? Not the chopped up version of the book he made later on?

  • @davidleelloth1479
    @davidleelloth1479 Рік тому

    Another thing about Ryu is, he’s not a one trick pony. In the Miso Soup is terrifying and deeply disturbing, while 69 is one of the best-and most hilarious portrayals of teenage boys and Popular Hits of the Showa Era is both hilarious and disturbing.

  • @AgrippaPetronius1903
    @AgrippaPetronius1903 Рік тому

    Patrick white a mesmerising writer, Voss, the aunts story, the tree of man phenomenon literature

    • @VersoFolioBooks
      @VersoFolioBooks 10 місяців тому

      having read eye of the storm and voss I agree (have the rest on the backlog), plus there's a great little book of conversations with his partner manoly lascaris that's also quite interesting

    • @rjmalcolm8066
      @rjmalcolm8066 6 місяців тому

      @@VersoFolioBookscurrently reading The Solid Mandala which is great too

  • @Cupcakes76
    @Cupcakes76 Рік тому

    Ryu Murakami is one of my favorite authors of all time. It's such a shame he's not very popular outside of Audition. I cried so many times reading Coin Locker Babies and it's currently sitting on my top 3 favorite foreign literature novels, and it's in my top 10 novels of all time. His writing style is so raw and unfiltered, but not in an edgy teen way - in a realistic, gritty way. I read In The Miso Soup and was genuinely horrified of how Ryu is able to project these images onto pages of nothing but text so well. Piercing is on my want to read list, and I'm really looking forward to it. I love reading foreign literature, especially Japan's - because they didn't have the surge of censorship that the states and Russia had after WWII and during The Cold War. Japanese literature, especially it's horror section, is just so much more intimate than most American novellas. Japan's authors have never been afraid to push the envelope about their society and conventions.. but Ryu stands out above the rest because he is not afraid to tap into the darker places of the psyche, something he does unbelievably well. I'm autistic and literature is my special interest, and I find most novels boring. But Ryu scratches that itch I have for surreal and gritty material. Truly an outstanding author I think every book lover should check out at least once.. Again, it's such a shame he's not very popular, his novels really change you. Any enthusiast of Ryu Murakami is good in my book, you got a new subscriber

  • @dagarbos
    @dagarbos Рік тому

    I salute you for having a critical take but I have to disagree. Simple style does not equal bad. Lack of a clear message or emotional detachment does not equal bad. Lack of edgy subject matter or style does not equal bad. Popularity does not equal bad. And the bingo game could be played with any prolific author.

  • @billyblake4291
    @billyblake4291 Рік тому

    Beautiful. Thank you!

  • @tompanageas8648
    @tompanageas8648 Рік тому

    Just a small correction: Christ Recrucified does NOT take place on the Greek mainland. It takes place in a small village in Asia Minor (Modern Day Turkey) during the Greek genocides of the early 1900s. Really important to detail as it gives a extra layer of context that comes in handy when things get ugly.

  • @djpokeeffe8019
    @djpokeeffe8019 Рік тому

    'In the Twenties he lost it ( the Nobel Prize) to Camus'. Really? That hardly inspires confidence in your research.

  • @whawkins8636
    @whawkins8636 Рік тому

    Zorba the Greek. Love his writing.

  • @edifyingminds
    @edifyingminds Рік тому

    Nice

  • @christophmahler
    @christophmahler Рік тому

    "(...) _with Mel Gibbson (...)"... ua-cam.com/video/jca4TchXelE/v-deo.html Thanks for the introduction into Kazantzakis - the background of Greek _nationalism_ was Ottoman rule since the modern age, still holds true when contemplating _bloody_ emancipation from *_Transatlantic colonialism_* ...

  • @solidsnake3014
    @solidsnake3014 Рік тому

    Wow Mr. Folio. I will now stop having long arguments about theory with people on twitter. 👰‍♂👰‍♂👰‍♂

  • @andeven1
    @andeven1 Рік тому

    i agree ❤✊🏽

  • @mmmoendo
    @mmmoendo 2 роки тому

    I am partially drunk and writing a 'novel' while listening to this lol.

    • @VersoFolioBooks
      @VersoFolioBooks 2 роки тому

      contemplating going full dionysus mode myself

  • @ellagage1256
    @ellagage1256 2 роки тому

    Hermes has "Intelligence" but Tiresias has "Wisdom"

  • @maxim.j22
    @maxim.j22 2 роки тому

    I love Murakami for his simple style in prose (I read his book in Russian, by the way)

  • @joecaner
    @joecaner 2 роки тому

    The Mel Gibson Jesus movie was a bloody bit of sadistic pornography called *_The Passion of The Christ_* It was so graphically violent that a movie critic, David Edelstein, referred to it as, _"The Jesus Chainsaw Massacre"_

  • @Francisca-ex1im
    @Francisca-ex1im 2 роки тому

    I absolutely loved your video, Ryu needs more spotlight, his way of writing about the violence and nature of people is breathtaking. New fan from Chile! ♥️

  • @EG-uv8fd
    @EG-uv8fd 2 роки тому

    2:27 8:05 19:04 24:21

  • @kewl0210
    @kewl0210 2 роки тому

    Good seeing you again. I kind of feel the same way sometimes about feeling like it's hard to feel like I'm making a "good point" so I don't post much at all. I think there's some value in it though, even for a small audience, whatever medium you go with.

  • @rubeng9092
    @rubeng9092 2 роки тому

    Just post the poetry and prose!

    • @mmmoendo
      @mmmoendo 2 роки тому

      This. More people are looking for stuff like that than some might think.

    • @VersoFolioBooks
      @VersoFolioBooks 2 роки тому

      Well, I added a few more things. Thanks.

  • @mery7798
    @mery7798 2 роки тому

    Have you read "From the Fatherland, with love"? I'm looking forward to read it but people say that it's quite a difficult book :/

    • @aclark903
      @aclark903 Рік тому

      Not difficult, but quite long, quite a lot of characters, extremely violent.

    • @mery7798
      @mery7798 Рік тому

      @@aclark903 Ohhh I see. I'll keep that in mind (although now I'm more curious). Thank you for responding!

    • @aclark903
      @aclark903 Рік тому

      @@mery7798 It's better than 'Blue'. I actually live in #Fukuoka where it is set. It's the 2nd best novel about Fukuoka I've read- after The Sea & Poison by #Endo.

    • @mery7798
      @mery7798 Рік тому

      @@aclark903 That's very interesting, I didn't know it was set in Fukuoka. I did read Blue a few years ago but didn't like it very much (compared to his other books of course). But I'm gonna give From the Fatherland a try, even if it seems like a challenge. The synopsis of The Sea and Poison sounds good, so I'm adding that to my list too.

  • @zd91
    @zd91 2 роки тому

    Drivel