''Captain Michalis'' ( el, Ο Καπετάν Μιχάλης) is a 1953 novel by the Greek writer

Nikos Kazantzakis Nikos Kazantzakis ( el, ; 2 March ( OS 18 February) 188326 October 1957) was a Greek writer. Widely considered a giant of modern Greek literature, he was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in nine different years. Kazantzakis's no ...

. In the English, German, and French translations (as well as many others) it is known as ''Freedom or Death''. The writer was influenced by his early years on the island of

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...

and uses explicit

Cretan Greek Cretan Greek, or the Cretan dialect ( el, Κρητική Διάλεκτος, ), is a variety of Modern Greek spoken in Crete and by the Cretan diaspora. Geographic distribution The Cretan dialect is spoken by the majority of the Cretan Greek ...

words and the

Cretan Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...

idiom in a way that preserves it untouched. It is one of the most widely read books of

modern Greek literature Modern Greek literature is literature written in Modern Greek, starting in the late Byzantine era in the 11th century AD. It includes work not only from within the borders of the modern Greek state, but also from other areas where Greek was widel ...

which has been translated and published in several languages.

Plot

The book deals with the

rebellion Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

of the Cretans against the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

in 1889.

Explanation of the novel's title

It is thought that the book's title honours Kazantzakis' father ''Michalis'' Kazantzakis, by whom the writer was inspired. The word ''Captain'' is not used in its naval rank sense, but as the title of leader of a

guerilla warfare Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run tac ...

group (the writer's father Michalis Kazantzakis was a leader of such a group, hence the title. Kazantzakis says this in his book "Report to

Greco Greco may refer to: People * Greco (surname), a list of people with this surname * a masculine variant of Greca (given name), an Italian feminine given name * Greco Mafia clan, one of the most influential Mafia clans in Sicily and Calabria Wine ...

"). ''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'', which were the last words in the book. The expression comes from the Greek national motto "Freedom or Death" (), derived from the

Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. The Greeks were later assisted by ...

and used by Cretan rebels such as the book's protagonist. The "or" was knowingly replaced with "and" in the ending text by Kazantzakis.

Publication

Captain Michalis has been translated into many languages, including

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

. * 1954,

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, (titled ''"Freiheit oder Tod"'', translated by ''Helmut von den Steinen''), Herbig, Berlin. * 1955,

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

, (titled ''"Frihet eller död"'', translated into Swedish by ''Börje Knös''), Ljus, Stockholm. * 1955,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

, (titled ''"Frihet eller død"'', translated into Norwegian by ''Leif Kristiansen''), Tanum, Oslo. * 1955,

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

, (titled ''"Frihed eller død"'', translated into Danish by ''Karl Hornelund''), Jespersen og Pio, Copenhagen. * 1955,

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, (titled ''"Kapitein Michalis"'', translated into Dutch by ''H.C.M. Edelman''), De Fontein, Utrecht. * 1955,

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

(titled ''"Vapaus tai Kuolema"'' translated into Finnish by ''Elvi Sinervo''), Kustannusosakeyhtiö Tammi, Helsinki. * 1955,

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, (titled ''"Freedom or Death, a novel"'', translated by ''Jonathan Griffin''), Simon and Schuster, New York. * 1956,

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

(titled ''"Freedom and Death, a novel", translated by ''Jonathan Griffin''), Bruno Cassirer, Oxford . * 1956,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

(titled ''"La Liberté ou La Mort"'', translated by ''Gisèle Prassinos and Pierre Fridas''), Plon, Paris. * 1956,

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

(titled ''"Kapitan Mihalis"'', translated into Slovenian by ''Jose Udović''), : Cankarjevna, Ljubljana. * 1957,

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

(titled ''"Frelsið eða dauðann"'', translated into Icelandic by ''Skúli Bjarkan''), Almenna bókafélagið, Reykjavík. * 1957,

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

(titled ''"Libertad o muerte"'', translated into Spanish by ''Rosa Chacel''), Carlos Lohlé, Buenos Aires. * 1958,

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

(titled ''"Liberdade ou morte"'', translated into Portuguese by ''Maria Franco''), Cor, Lisbon. * 1958,

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

(titled ''"Mihálisz kapitány"'', translated into Hungarian by ''Abody Béla''), Európa, Budapest. * 1959,

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

(titled ''"Capitan Michele"'', translated by ''Edvige Levi Gunalachi''), Martello, Milan. * 1960,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

(titled ''"Kapitan Michał"'', translated into Polish by ''Katarzyna Witwicka''), Czytelnik, Warsaw. * 1960,

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

(titled ''"Kapitán Michalis"'' translated into Czech by ''František Štuřík and Mariana Stříbrná''), Československý spisovatel, Prague. * 1961,

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

(titled ''"Kapitan Mikhalis"'', translated into Bulgarian by ''Georgi Kufov''), Narodna Kultura, Sofia. * 1963,

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

(titled ''"Herut O Mavet"'' - "חרות או מוות"), Am Oved, Tel Avi

* 1965,

USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

(titled ''"Kapitan Mihalis: Svoboda abo smert"'', translated into Ukrainian by ''Ivan Hrechanivs'ky, Viktoriia and Iannis Mochos''), Vydavnytstvo Khudozhn'oi Literatury "Dnipro", Kiev. * 1967,

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

, (titled ''"Ya hürriyet ya ölüm (Kapetan Mihalis)"'', translated by ''Nevzat Hatko''), Ararat, Istanbul. * 1973,

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

, (titled ''"Azadi ya marg"'', translated into Persian by ''Muhammad Qazi''), Khvarazmi, Tehran. * 1973,

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

(titled, ''"Ja vdekje, ja liri"'', translated into Albanian by ''Enver Fico''), Shtepia Botuese "Naim Frasheri" Tirana. * 1976,

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

, (titled ''"al-Hurriya wa-l-maut"''), al-Hay'a, Cairo. * 1982,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, (titled ''"Zi you huo si wang"'', translated into Chinese by ''Wang Zhenji yi''), Wai guo wen xue chu ban she, Peking. * 2002,

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

(titled ''"Kapitonas Michalis"'', translated into Lithuanian by ''Diana Bučiūtė''), , Vilnius. * 2013,

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

(titled ''"O Capitão Michális (Liberdade ou Morte)"'', translated into Portuguese by ''Silvia Ricardino''), Grua, São Paulo. * 2014,

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

(titled ''"Sloboda ili smrt"'', translated into Croatian by ''Irena Gavranović Lukšić''), Sandorf, Zagreb. * 2021,

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

(titled ''"Капитан Михалис"'', translated into Russian by ''Victor Grigorievich Sokoluk''), Wyrgorod, Moscow.

External links

Poetry Magazine articleReview by the Kazantzakis Museum
{{Nikos Kazantzakis Greek novels Greek literature Modern Greek literature 1953 novels Michalis Fiction set in 1889 Novels by Nikos Kazantzakis Novels set in the 1880s Novels set in Crete Novels set in the Ottoman Empire Novels about rebels