God’s Pauper: St. Francis of Assisi

Fictional account of St Francis of Assisi’s heroic single-mindedness in the face of extreme physical & spiritual suffering. He portrays the saint as a great lover & inspiring leader, who embraced radical poverty in the face of many obstacles & temptations.
Kazantzakis (2/18/1883–10/26/57) was born in & lived in Greece most of his life. His most famous novels include Zorba the Greek (’46, Βίος και Πολιτεία του Αλέξη Ζορμπά); The Greek Passion (’48, UK title Christ Recrucified, Ο Χριστός Ξανασταυρώνεται); Captain Michalis (’50, UK title Freedom & Death, in Greek Καπετάν Μιχάλης); The Last Temptation of Christ (’51, Ο Τελευταίος Πειρασμός) & St Francis (’56, UK title God’s Pauper: St Francis of Assisi, Ο Φτωχούλης του Θεού). Report to Greco (’61, Αναφορά στον Γκρέκο), containing autobiographical & fictional elements, summed up his philosophy as the “Cretan Glance.”