Heroic nihilism as a creative path in The Saviors of God

Spiritual Exercises of Nikos Kazantzakis

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51951/ti.v14i32.p7-20

Keywords:

Hybridity. Heroic nihilism. Dionysian. Freedom. Recreation.

Abstract

The Saviors of God: Spiritual Exercises (1927) by Nikos Kazantzákis is a hybrid text, formed by the Intersection of philosophical (Nietzsche and Bergson), literary (poetic prose), and religious (Buddhism and Christianity) discourses, making it difficult to classify within traditional discursive genres. The work is thematically and structurally composed of heroic nihilism, Dionysian acceptance amid decline, and the transcendence of values that hinder natural impulses, leading the hero to formulate new evaluations of life. The rhetorical construction In The Saviors God signals the possibility of peaceful coexistence, clash, rupture, or dissolution of one or more discourses. We aim to show, however, that it is precisely the coexistence of these seemingly antagonistic discourses that allows man the freedom to Invert the creator/creature hierarchy and assume the power to create and recreate, beyond imposed values and traditions. It is Intended to demonstrate that by utilizing different discourses and transitioning between different areas of knowledge, the work opens up to issues of textuality, provoking reflection beyond the limits imposed by discursive genres and forms of knowledge.

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Author Biography

Carolina Donega Bernardes, Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP

Doutora em Letras (Teoria da Literatura) pela Universidade Estadual Paulista – UNESP (São José do Rio Preto), com pesquisa sobre a obra de Nikos Kazantzákis.

References

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KAZANTZÁKIS, N. Ascese. Os Salvadores de Deus. Trad. José Paulo Paes. São Paulo: Ática, 1997.

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Published

2025-01-23

How to Cite

BERNARDES, Carolina Donega. Heroic nihilism as a creative path in The Saviors of God: Spiritual Exercises of Nikos Kazantzakis. Travessias Interativas, São Cristóvão-SE, v. 14, n. 32, p. 7–20, 2025. DOI: 10.51951/ti.v14i32.p7-20. Disponível em: https://periodicos.ufs.br/Travessias/article/view/n32p7. Acesso em: 26 jun. 2026.