{"product_id":"hold-fast-the-mountain-pass-theodora-vasils-9780761852520","title":"Hold Fast the Mountain Pass: A Work of Historical Fiction about the Life and World of Nikos Kazantzakis","description":"Hailed as \"my spiritual brother\" by Albert Schweitzer, and oft-compared to fellow giants Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, Nikos Kazantzakis occupies a unique place among the literary notables of our time. \u003cbr\u003eKazantzakis was born in1883 at the height of his country's last bloody revolts to break free of Ottoman oppression. As a child, he knew the sound and smell of fear and the sight of rampaging soldiers on the streets outside his window. He knew the blood-curdling sound of people being slaughtered, and the sight of his father standing guard at the door, his knife at the ready; knew, too, the sound of his father's voice in his ear, savage and tender, whispering \u003ci\u003eto not be afraid...to die like a Cretan\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003cbr\u003eFor a child living in Crete at that time, there were words that dripped blood upon which an entire populace were crucified: the words \u003ci\u003erevolution\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003efreedom\u003c\/i\u003e. These were the words that shaped and defined the struggle for freedom and spiritual perfection that was to become the focus of his life. \u003cbr\u003eBeginning with those first pivotal years, \u003ci\u003eHold Fast the Mountain Pass\u003c\/i\u003e narrates Kazantzakis' life --- his poverty, his life in exile, his struggle as a writer groping for a \"voice,\" and describes the conditions under which that voice brought forth the prolific range of work that included \u003ci\u003eThe Odyssey\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eZorba the Greek\u003c\/i\u003e, and the controversial \u003ci\u003eLast Temptation of Christ\u003c\/i\u003e. It continues through the period of maturity when the floodgates opened to release the final great novels, and covers Kazantzakis from the historical perspective of his own country, and also in the larger context of the two World Wars which defined most of the twentieth century.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Theodora Vasils\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0761852522\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780761852520\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Hamilton Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/04\/2010\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 290\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.05lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.90h x 6.00w x 0.90d","brand":"Theodora Vasils","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43947097260287,"sku":"9780761852520","price":57.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/products\/img_5f330eac-ddbd-4101-80e4-be5e18d4a72e.jpg?v=1681516695","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/hold-fast-the-mountain-pass-theodora-vasils-9780761852520","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}