Captain Michalis

Infobox Book
name = Freedom or Death
title_orig = Captain Michalis
"(Καπετάν Μιχάλης)"
translator = Jonathan Griffin


image_caption = Cover of the second edition in Greek, Athens 1955
author = Nikos Kazantzakis
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country = Greece
language = Greek
series =
subject =
genre =
publisher = Bruno Cassirer, Oxford
pub_date = 1953
english_pub_date = 1956
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback)
pages = 472 (Paperback)
isbn = 0-85181-012-8
oclc = 423492
preceded_by =
followed_by =

"Captain Michalis" (Greek: "Καπετάν Μιχάλης") is one of the most widely read books of modern Greek literature which has been translated and published in several languages. It was written by Nikos Kazantzakis and was first published in Greek in 1953. The writer was influenced by his early years on the island of Crete and uses explicit Greek words and the Cretan idiom in a way that preserves it untouched.

Plot introduction

The book deals with the rebellion of the Cretans against the Ottoman Empire in the year 1889.

Explanation of the novel's title

It is thought that the book is titled after Kazantzakis' father "Michalis" Kazantzakis from whom the writer was inspired. The word "Captain" is not used in its naval or military rank sense, but more as a chieftain title given to prominent members of the Cretan society. "Freedom or Death" was added as a subtitle to the second edition in Greek released by Difros publishers in Athens in 1955 and was the preferred English (US) title. In the UK the book was published as "Freedom and Death".

Characters in Captain Michalis

Major characters

* "Captain Michalis"
* "Captain Polyxigis"
* "Nuri Bey"
* "Emine Hanum"

Other characters

* "Ali Aga" - A Turkish neighbour of Captain Michalis
* "Aristoteles" - the chemist, brother of the three Hags
* "Bertodoulos" - music teacher form the island of Zante (alias count Montigiano)
* "Charitos" - Captain Michalis' nephew, apprentice at his shop
* "Chrysanthe" - Captain Polyxigis' sister
* "Demetros" - A Greek shopkeeper, Penelope's husband
* "Efendina" -
* "Fyrogatos" -
* "Hamidé" -
* "Ilarion" - bell ringer at Christ the Lord monastery
* "Barba Jannis" - drinks seller in Megalokastro
* "Janaros" - the master painter
* "Jorgaros" - Vendusos' godfather
* "Kajabes" -
* "Katerina" - Captain Michalis' wife
* "Kasapakis" -
* "Kolyvas" - the gravedigger
* "Krasoyiorgis" -
* "Manúsakas" - Captain Michalis' brother
* "Marulió" - Penelope's maid
* "Mastrapas" -
* "Mavroudes" -
* "Manolios" -
* "Murzuflos" -
* "Pachumios" - an ascetic from the Kadumas Monastery
* "Paraskevas" - a shopkeeper/barber from Syros
* "Patsamos" - lyre player, reciter of rhymes
* "Penelope" - Demetros' wife
* "Photios" - aged monk at Christ the Lord monastery
* "Renio" - Captain Michalis' daughter
* "Selim Aga" - prominent and wealthy Turkish land owner
* "Captain Sifakas" - Captain Michalis' father
* "Captain Stefanés" -
* "Thrasos" (Thrasaki) - Captain Michalis' son
* "Tityros" - Captain Michalis' brother , a school master
* "Tulupanos" - the baker
* "Vangelio" - Polyxigis' niece
* "Vendúsos" - tavern keeper and Lyre player
* "Zacharias" - Jorgaros' uncle, a barber

Publication history

Captain Michalis has been translated into many of the world's most spoken languages.
* 1953, Finland (titled "Vapaus tai Kuolema" translated into Finnish by "Elvi Sinervo"), Kustannusokeylitio Tamni, Helsinki.
* 1954, Germany, (titled "Freiheit oder Tod", translated by "Helmut von den Steinen"), Herbig, Berlin.
* 1955, Sweden, (titled "Frihet eller död", translated into Swedish by "Börje Knös"), Ljus, Stockholm.
* 1955, Norway, (titled "Frihet eller død", translated into Norwegian by "Leif Kristiansen"),Tanum, Oslo.
* 1955, Denmark, (titled "Frihed eller død", translated into Danish by "Karl Hornelund"), Jespersen og Pio, Copenhagen.
* 1955, Holland, (titled "Kapitein Michalis", translated into Dutch by "H.C.M. Edelman"), De Fontein, Utrecht.
* 1955, USA, (titled "Freedom or Death, a novel", translated by "Jonathan Griffin"), Simon and Schuster, New York.
* 1956, Great Britain (titled "Freedom and Death, a novel", translated by "Jonathan Griffin"), Bruno Cassirer, Oxford ISBN 0851810128.
* 1956, France (titled "La Liberté ou La Mort", translated by "Gisèle Prassinos and Pierre Fridas"), Plon, Paris.
* 1956, Yugoslavia (titled "Kapitan Mihalis", translated into Slovenian by "Jose Udović"), : Cankarjevna, Ljubljana.
* 1957, Iceland (titled "Frelsiğ eğa daudann", translated into Icelandic by "Skúli Bjarkan"), Almenna bokafelagid, Reykjavík.
* 1957, Argentina (titled "Libertad o muerte", translated into Spanish by "Rosa Chacel"), Carlos Lohlé, Buenos Aires.
* 1958, Portugal (titled "Liberdade ou morte", translated into Portuguese by "Maria Franco"), Cor, Lisbon.
* 1958, Hungary (titled "Mihálisz kapitány", translated into Hungarian by "Abody Béla"), Európa, Budapest.
* 1959, Italy (titled "Capitan Michele", translated by "Edvige Levi Gunalachi"), Martello, Milan.
* 1960, Poland (titled "Kapetan Michal", translated into Polish by "Katarzyna Witwicka"), Czytelnik, Warsaw.
* 1960, Czechoslovakia (titled "Kapitán Michalis" translated into Czech by "František Štuřík and Mariana Stříbrná"), Československý spisovatel, Prague.
* 1961, Bulgaria (titled "Kapitan Mikhalis", translated into Bulgarian by "Georgi Kufov"), Narodna Kultura, Sofia.
* 1963, Israel (titled "Hyrvt Mvt romz"), Am Oved, Tel Aviv.
* 1965, USSR (titled "Kapitan Mihalis: Svoboda abo smert", translated into Ukrainian by "Ivan Hrechanivs'ky, Viktoriia and Iannis Mochos"), Vydavnytstvo Khudozhn'oi Literatury "Dnipro", Kiev. The book however was never translated into Russian.
* 1967, Turkey, (titled "Ya hürriyet ya ölüm (Kapetan Mihalis)", translated by "Nevzat Hatko"), Ararat, Istanbul.
* 1973, Iran, (titled "Azadi ya marg", translated into Persian by "Muhammad Qazi"), Khvarazmi, Tehran.
* 1973, Albania (titled, "Ja vdekje, ja liri", translated into Albanian by "Enver Fico"), Shtepia Botuese "Naim Frasheri" Tirana.
* 1976, Egypt, (titled "al-Hurriya wa-l-maut"), al-Hay'a, Cairo.
* 1982, China, (titled "Zi you huo si wang", translated into Chinese by "Wang Zhenji yi"), Wai guo wen xue chu ban she, Peking.
* 2002, Lithuania (titled "Kapitonas Michalis", translated into Lithuanian by "Diana Bučiūtė"), Vaga, Vilnius.

External links

* [http://www.poetrymagazines.org.uk/magazine/record.asp?id=10397 Poetry Magazine article]
* [http://www.kazantzakis-museum.gr/index.php?pre_id=1001&id=708&level=4&pre_level=5&action=&searchKey=&lang=en Review by the Kazantzakis Museum]
* [http://www.historical-museum.gr/kazantzakis/en/index.html Lawrence Durrell's take on Freedom or Death]