Kazantzakian Odyssey

[reading time: 1 minute and 29 seconds]

The International Society of Friends of Nikos Kazantzakis (ISFNK) and the Kazantzakis Museum, in co‑organization with the Region of Crete, invite the public to an open event titled “Reading the Kazantzakian Odyssey”, which will take place on Saturday, 23 May 2026, at 19:30, at the Kazantzakis Museum in Myrtia, Heraklion.

The event marks the culmination of the online reading marathon of Nikos Kazantzakis’ Odyssey, an initiative carried out by ISFNK over the past two years, aiming to bring this monumental work closer to today’s audience—and especially to the younger generation.

From February 2024 until today, students from schools across Greece —from Agrinio, Athens, Heraklion, Kefalonia, Komotini, Sappes (Rodopi), Mytilene, and Rethymno— together with teachers, university students, members, and friends of ISFNK from every corner of the world, joined their voices to read the 33,333 verses and 24 Rhapsodies of Kazantzakis’ Odyssey.

The marathon began on 18 February 2024 with the reading of the prologue and concludes symbolically at the Museum, through a live celebration of literature and memory. During the event, the prologue, selected excerpts from the 24 Rhapsodies, and the epilogue of the work will be presented.

The readings will be delivered by representatives of Local Government, major cultural institutions of Crete, and Kazantzakian organizations, while the event will be broadcast live via the official YouTube channel of the Nikos Kazantzakis Museum.

The evening will be accompanied musically by Lily Daka on piano and Giannis Kassotakis on vocals, performing works by composers who have set Kazantzakis’ words to music, creating an atmosphere of deep emotion and artistic resonance.