The Fratricides — Nikos Kazantzakis

The Fratricides is a searing novel of Greece's Civil War by the great master Nikos Kazantzakis. It is set in the rugged hills, where Communist guerrillas and Monarchist troops are fighting for the allegiance of the townspeople, and for dominion over them. The central figure is Father Yanaros, the village priest, who is caught between these two factions and a third, stronger power -- his love for Christ. Yanaros knows his own son is fighting in the parched mountains; he sees his people descending deeper and deeper into savagery; and he must decide on a course of action.

The Christlike Father Yanaros personifies Kazantzakis' own conflicting passions: his love for Greece and its cruel history, his profound Christian belief, and his fascination with the power of charismatic leadership. The Fratricides, Kazantzakis' last novel, is a gripping, soul-wrenching literary work.