Chapter 26 Summary

Zorba and the narrator part, and the narrator promises to stuff himself to surfeit with books so that he no longer needs them. One day, he says, they will together build the monastery of free men. Arriving in Candia, the narrator receives confirmation that his friend Stavridaki is dead. Years go by, and the narrator receives an occasional postcard from Zorba with his latest news, including a new marriage. When Zorba invites his former boss to Germany to see a beautiful green stone and the narrator refuses, the postcards stop. The narrator dreams of his friend and of Zorba and realizes that Zorba will soon die. Soon, this fear is confirmed. A letter arrives describing Zorba's last moments, and informing the narrator that he has inherited the santuri.

Chapter 26 Analysis

After all their experiences together, Zorba tells his boss that the narrator is...