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Quick answer: If you loved Zorba the Greek, try Captain Corelli's Mandolin, My Family and Other Animals, The Magus, The Colossus of Maroussi, Freedom and Death and The Island. Each one celebrates a larger-than-life character, a love of life or a sun-soaked Mediterranean setting.
Nikos Kazantzakis's 1946 novel is narrated by a bookish young Greek intellectual who leases a lignite mine on Crete. Before he sails, he meets Alexis Zorba, a roaring, dancing, storytelling man of action who becomes his foreman and friend. Through Zorba's appetite for food, wine, love and music, the narrator learns to live rather than just think. Readers love its joy and its tragedy. These books share its zest for life and its Greek settings.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Setting | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Captain Corelli's Mandolin | Louis de Bernières | Greece | readers who love Greek islands |
| My Family and Other Animals | Gerald Durrell | Corfu | readers who like sunny Greek comedy |
| The Magus | John Fowles | Greek island | readers who like mysterious mentors |
| The Colossus of Maroussi | Henry Miller | Greece | readers who like travel joy |
| Freedom and Death | Nikos Kazantzakis | Crete | readers who want more Kazantzakis |
| The Island | Victoria Hislop | Crete | readers who like Crete |
| The Odyssey | Homer | Ancient Greece | readers who want the original |
| Don Quixote | Miguel de Cervantes | Spain | readers who like unforgettable pairs |
| The Alexandria Quartet: Justine | Lawrence Durrell | Egypt | readers who like Mediterranean passion |
| A Year in Provence | Peter Mayle | France | readers who like Mediterranean life |
| Under the Tuscan Sun | Frances Mayes | Italy | readers who like sun and food |
| The Sun Also Rises | Ernest Hemingway | Spain | readers who like life-loving friends |
| Ill Met by Moonlight | W. Stanley Moss | Crete | readers who want true Cretan adventure |
| Mythos | Stephen Fry | Greece | readers who like Greek myth |
| Eleni | Nicholas Gage | Greece | readers who want true Greek history |
1. Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernières
An Italian officer falls for a Greek doctor's daughter.
Best for: readers who love Greek islands.
2. My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell
A boy's eccentric family lives on Corfu.
Best for: readers who like sunny Greek comedy.
3. The Magus by John Fowles
A young man falls under a magician's spell.
Best for: readers who like mysterious mentors.
4. The Colossus of Maroussi by Henry Miller
Miller's love letter to Greece.
Best for: readers who like travel joy.
5. Freedom and Death by Nikos Kazantzakis
Cretans rebel against Ottoman rule.
Best for: readers who want more Kazantzakis.
6. The Island by Victoria Hislop
A woman uncovers her family's link to a leper colony.
Best for: readers who like Crete.
7. The Odyssey by Homer
Odysseus's journey home.
Best for: readers who want the original.
8. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
A knight and his squire.
Best for: readers who like unforgettable pairs.
9. The Alexandria Quartet: Justine by Lawrence Durrell
Lovers in Alexandria.
Best for: readers who like Mediterranean passion.
10. A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle
A couple adapts to rural France.
Best for: readers who like Mediterranean life.
11. Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes
A woman restores an Italian villa.
Best for: readers who like sun and food.
12. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
Expatriates travel to Pamplona.
Best for: readers who like life-loving friends.
13. Ill Met by Moonlight by W. Stanley Moss
British agents kidnap a German general on Crete.
Best for: readers who want true Cretan adventure.
14. Mythos by Stephen Fry
The Greek myths retold.
Best for: readers who like Greek myth.
15. Eleni by Nicholas Gage
A son investigates his mother's execution in the Greek Civil War.
Best for: readers who want true Greek history.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Zorba the Greek: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to Zorba the Greek. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most. If a pick is part of a longer series, read the first book before you commit, and check the age or content notes in the table before passing a book to a younger reader.
How to Choose
For Greek island life, My Family and Other Animals and Captain Corelli's Mandolin are favorites. The Magus has another mysterious mentor. If you loved the joy of living, The Colossus of Maroussi and Under the Tuscan Sun are lovely. Ill Met by Moonlight tells a thrilling true story set on Crete.
Related: Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes: Summary and Key Takeaways
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Zorba the Greek about?
A bookish narrator learns to embrace life from his larger-than-life friend Zorba on Crete.
Is Zorba based on a real person?
Yes. Kazantzakis based him on George Zorbas, a man he knew.
Is there a movie?
Yes. The 1964 film starred Anthony Quinn.
What is Zorba's dance?
The famous sirtaki dance from the film became iconic.
Is it a happy book?
It is joyful but has tragic moments.
Who was Kazantzakis?
A Greek writer from Crete.
What should I read next?
My Family and Other Animals.