KAZANTZAKIS, Nikos.

£9,500 · Offered by Peter Harrington

Odyseia. First edition, number 268 of 277 copies numbered in Roman numerals and signed by the author, from a total edition of 301 copies. Kazantzakis's major work is an ambitious sequel to Homer's Odyssey and one of the "very first monuments of European Modernism" (Gonzáles-Vaquerizo, p. 104).This is the only copy in wrappers that we have traced on the market and in auction records.Kazantzakis (1883-1957) began writing Odyseia in 1924, during a period of intense personal turmoil after he returned to his native island of Crete. The poem is deeply autobiographical, with many characters inspired by people he met in real life. It was published after fourteen years of revisions and seven rewritings. The text mirrors the structure of Homer's Odyssey, divided into 24 rhapsodies, but is roughly twice as long and employs an experimental style marked by abundant neologisms and intricate syntax. The plot follows Odysseus after his return to Ithaca: restless in domestic life and driven by an insatiable desire for freedom, he embarks on a series of new journeys culminating in his arrival in Antarctica.

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